TODAY -
Bengal look to tame Manipur in Santosh Trophy
- Times of India -
Nilesh Bhattacharya, TNN | May 19, 2011, 12.42am IST
Santosh Trophy holders Bengal are set to launch an aerial bombardment on Manipur when the two sides meet in an attempt to gain pole position in Group 'A' of the quarterfinal league phase on Thursday.
Conscious of Manipur's distinct focus on passing football, Shabbir Ali is planning to counter it by looking up for inspiration. In his scheme of things, Branco and company will be direct, physical, aggressive and aerial.
With both Bengal and Manipur kicking off their campaign with wins, another positive result on Thursday will push the winner closer to a semifinal berth. And it's the difference in their style which adds spice to the contest.
Despite the comfortable 4-1 win over Chhattisgarh, Shabbir is aware of the enormity of the task in dealing with Manipur. "It will be a different challenge and we have to plan accordingly," he told TOI after supervising a brief practice session on Wednesday.
The success of his strategy partly depends on Mumtaz Akhtar's role as a holding midfielder as well as Surabuddin Mollick and Xavier Francis' commitment and effectiveness on the wings, and partly on how Branco - the hat-trick star against Chhattisgarh - is made to take advantage of his height against the Manipur defenders.
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** This Post is uploaded on May 18, 2011.
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