A vital win for Mumbai City FC as a hapless NorthEast United founder

BetOdds Indian Super League Mumbai City v NorthEast United Mumbai City NorthEast United

A Diego Carlos strike saw Mumbai climb into the top four but injuries and suspensions are a concern for Jorge Costa...

A 1-0 win over NorthEast United at home saw Mumbai City do their top four hopes a huge favour on Friday. Not only did it see them climb to fourth, two points clear of Odisha FC, it was also just their third home win in seven matches this season.

After losing their first three home matches, this has been some sort of a resurgence for Jorge Costa's men at the Mumbai Football Arena. And with two of their remaining three matches to be held at home, it is a welcoming development for the Islanders.

However, their win on Friday was nothing less than scrappy. Diego Carlos, who was a livewire throughout, got a well-taken goal just before half-time and Mumbai held on to it, unlike againt Hyderabad FC when they squandered a similar lead in injury time.

It could be said that Mumbai City held the initiative throughout a game which lacked in quality in the final third and deserved the three points. Carlos worked very hard down the left wing while Amine Chermiti and Modou Sougou were willing runners upfront. Sougou even hit the woodwork once while Chermiti went close a couple of times.

NorthEast, on the other hand, struggled to create chances and give Andy Keogh adequate service. Despite starting with the likes of Federico Gallego and Simon Lundevall, they were unable to fashion clear cut opportunities.

Gallego seems to be a shadow of the player who set the league alight last season. Lalengmawia, who showed some neat touches in midfield, looked unable to control the game though and young right winger Ninthoinganba Meetei still has some work to do if he is to realise his immense potential.

The problem for Robert Jarni's side has been their inability to score goals. Their passing in the final third has been passive and the absence of Asamoah Gyan has been telling. They have not scored for four games running now and have just nine goals this season, which is five less than bottom-placed Hyderabad FC.

NorthEast are winless in nine matches now and their chances of finishing in the top-four is all but over. It has been a huge fall from grace for a team which started the season with a six-match unbeaten run that saw them notch 10 points. After seven more matches, they have 11!

There are some concerns for Mumbai City as well. An injured Sarthak Golui's absence meant that Mohammed Rafique had to fill in as a makeshift right-back. Though he got the job done on the night, the decision to allow Souvik Chakraborty to leave for Hyderabad FC would be questioned.

Already, the team is struggling to impose themselves in midfield in the absence of Paulo Machado who is also out for the season. Now, with a crucial game against Jamshedpur FC coming up, there is further bad news for Mumbai with Sougou suspended for picking up his fourth yellow card of the season.

Without Sougou, they tend to struggle in attack as his pace is a crucial weapon for Costa during counter-attacks which is a key feature of their gameplan. With a tough away game against Goa lined up after the Jmashedpur match, Costa should look to make the most of their home matches.

2020-02-01 10:00:02

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