Can Mohun Bagan overcome the midseason bump to make it 2 titles in a row?

So that brings us to the question at hand, what is in store for Mohun Bagan for the rest of the season? There is not an iota of doubt in the minds of Bagan supporters that this would be a huge setback for the title-aspiring club. AIFF have been accused of being a corporate sell-out by many a conspiracy theorist, and that the federation want their “favourite” team to win. Though these may be baseless allegations against the governing body, surely the morale of the Mariners would be affected by the ban of their manager who has shown supreme tactical acumen this season to put Bagan on top of the table. An unbeaten season in I-League is a testament to Sanjoy Sen's credentials as he has been able to transform the Bagan squad into a champion side. In fact, the only loss Bagan have faced this season came against a much superior Shangdong Luneng in harsh weather conditions in China.

Meanwhile the person in charge temporarily, Mr. Shankarlal Chakrabarti is a Tata Football Academy (TFA) graduate himself, and having played as a midfielder for East Bengal not so long back, will definitely look to carry forward the good work. He has already taken charge of the club on a couple of occasions when Sen was unwell. "I am ready for it. I have not talked to Sanjoy (Sen) Da yet, but we will definitely talk later in the day," he told Goal.com. In the next few weeks, he will become the first-ever TFA graduate to give instructions from the technical area for a top-flight team in the I-League. When Sanjoy Sen was asked whether the performance of his team will be affected by his absence in the technical bench area, he said “I cannot say about the ban and whether it would be reduced but it will not affect Mohun Bagan's performance. I have trust on my support staff. I am sure that they will manage the situation with ease,” reported ZeeNews.

The defence looks pretty settled at the back with Luciano Sobrosa commanding his troops at the back. Though the right back position might be a spot of concern for Bagan with both Pritam Kotal and Raju Gaikwad found wanting on several occasions, Kingshuk Debnath has been a solid performer this season. Meanwhile Debjit has been a standout goalkeeper for Bagan this season and has displaced Shilton Paul from the first team ever since the season started.

Surely, Sen is confident of his wards who had a stellar season and are sitting at the top of the table with 22 points from 10 matches. He understands the fact that it is not the manager who delivers on the pitch but the players who carry out his instructions. The combination of Cornell Glenn and Sony Norde on the left flank and Katsumi Yusa in advanced midfield has reaped rich rewards for Bagan. Even when Glenn struggled with goals, Jeje continued his wonderful season scoring at free will and continuing his rich vein of form. With six games left, they need to continue doing just that. It could be a two-horse race in the I-League with Bengaluru FC breathing down the neck of Bagan with 22 points from 11 matches. The crucial matches to look out in the remainder of the season will definitely be the home game of Bengaluru FC with East Bengal, the Kolkata derby at Barasat stadium and the home match of Bagan against 2nd placed Bengaluru FC. Potentially these three matches will seal the title for one team. Whether it will be Mohun Bagan who have definitely been the team of the season or not, only time will tell!