"Bengal's win will help Mohun Bagan"

After leading Bengal to their first Santosh trophy title after 11 years, Snehasish Chakraborty is now looking to win trophies with Mohun Bagan. In an exclusive interview with MOM Snehasish Chakraborty speaks about his hopes and expectations, this season.

Question: What do you think about this year’s team?

Snehasish: See Mohun Bagan is a trophy hunting club. Every year they build their team to win trophies and it is same this year. Our Pre-season is going on very nicely and I expect a very good result this year.

Question: This year’s squad is full of Bengali players, how do see this?

Snehasish: It is said that the Bengali players are not given chances in Kolkata’s top clubs. This year Mohun Bagan has given them a chance. It is up to them now to give their 100 percent and prove it to all that they deserve their place here.

Question: This year our forward line is studded with 3 foreigners and appears very strong on paper, but what do

you think about the defense?

Snehasish: I think Mohun Bagan’s defense is quite good. You see Mandi, Azim and Biswajit were there last year and they have got used to the pressure here. The newcomers like Kingshuk, Dhanarajan and rahul have all played in the I-league before and I expect them to get used to here.

Question: This year our national team’s players will miss most of the season. What do you think about that?

Snehasish: I don’t think it will be of any use, wondering about who is there and who isn’t. We have to play with those who are here and also win with them. And I think that if those players who are here, play to their potential, we can win a lot of trophies this season.

Question: Our captain Ishfaq also plays in your position. So are you feeling pressure to compete with him and get into the first team?

Snehasish: Not at all. I take this competition very sportingly. The main thing is that Mohun Bagan wins, and for that I am even ready to sacrifice my place in the team. And one more thing, this year coach is planning to use ishfaq on the right and me on the left.

Question: I would like to congratulate you for winning the Santosh trophy for Bengal. The Bengal squad also had a number of players from Mohun Bagan. So do you think this would benefit Mohun Bagan?

Snehasish: Thank you for congratulating me. Yes, it will definitely help Mohun Bagan. You see this win has given a great boost to our confidence. We now believe that we are in no way less than others. This confidence will remain with them when they play for Mohun Bagan and in this way Bengal's win will also benefit Mohun Bagan.

Interview: Soumen Chaki

Report: Soumen Chaki and Srijan Bhattacharya