How Mohun Bagan enjoyed a full bloom

Coach Molina enjoys the spotlight after teaching Mariners winning mantra
KOLKATA: Sometimes you need a big bang to claim your world. Something radical and explosive, like a new birth. The big bang moment for Mohun Bagan SG came right at the outset of the season. And it was served in fashion typical of the famed Maidan culture, by showing the existing coach the door -in this case an ISL Shield winner in Antonio Lopez Habas, no less!
In another outside-of-the-box flourish, in came Jose Molina. But his return to Indian football eight years after guiding ATK to their second title in a nascent league, was anything but smooth. His reign began with defender Anwar Ali's controversial switch to crosstown rivals East Bengal FC. More setbacks followed -a loss to NorthEast United in the season-opening Durand Cup final and then a shoddy defence of the ISL Shield title.
Bagan were looking shaky and the call for Molina's head -especially after East Bengal FC decided to give Carles Cuadrat the sack - gained ground.
Then, everything changed between Sept 28 when Bagan lost 0-3 to Bengaluru FC away and Oct 5, when they blew away Mohammedan SC 3-0 at home. The win over old Maidan rivals set in motion their all-conquering run at home this season. "I'm not worried about a sacking. If it has to happen, it will happen," Molina had said on the eve of the match, "I think the team is getting closer to where I want it to be. Takes time, but I'm happy."
On Sunday, an almost packed and febrile Salt Lake Stadium witnessed a different Molina when Bagan rode a Dimitrios Petratos' stoppage time goal to edge Odisha FC 1-0 and become the first team to defend the ISL Shield. Usually restrained, a stoic face betraying little, the 54-year-old let his hair down -the celebration began with a leap and punch in the air, and a triumphant run in manic delight.
The ambush completed, the Shield defended, the man needed that show-stealing stage to realize his moment of truth. "To win a trophy, you need to be a team. It's not just about 11 players. You have to be a team, everybody has to feel important," Molina would tell everyone an hour later.
This is perhaps what has set Molina's Bagan apart from the rest this season. Take for example Petratos. The Australian striker played an inspirational role in helping Bagan lift its first Shield last season but lost his starting place with the arrival of Jamie Maclaren. His last goal had come in a losing cause over two months ago, when Bagan went down 1-2 to Goa for only their second league defeat this term.
"The last two months is not a failure. You only fail when you stop, so I never gave up," Petratos pointed out. Maclaren also provided another insight. "We've shown that we don't rely on one goal scorer. That's a sign of a good team, that they are hungry from the back through to the front," said A-League's all-time leading scorer. The backline of Subhasish Bose, Tom Aldred and Alberto Rodriguez was instrumental in scripting 14 clean sheets in the season; it also resulted in record-breaking spell of 570 minutes without conceding a goal.
Even more, Subhasish now has most goals by a defender in an ISL season (6), with Rodriguez chipping in with five more. Five months ago, it was a different battle for Molina who appeared to be in the firing line. Yet, he believed in his project, transformed Bagan into a winning machine and helped them find their place in the sun. In doing so, Molina reclaimed his world in Indian football.