Kerala Blasters vs ATK – Preview, Line up and Prediction

In the year 2014, the world witnessed the ‘birth of a footballing nation’ when the Indian Super League debuted. It has been 3 years since and India is gearing up for the fourth installment of the high-profile football league.

One of the main attractions of the ISL and a key factor for its success has been the rivalries between clubs such as Kerala Blasters FC and ATK (formerly known as Atletico de Kolkata).

Both these clubs have widespread popularity with deeply passionate fan-bases. As a result, whenever there has been an encounter between these two clubs, the stadium has been filled to the brim and the competition
on the pitch has been intense.

The inaugural season saw then ATK forward, Mohammed Rafique score the lone goal in the final, which forever etched his name in the ISL history books.

Last season, these two teams took to the centre of the field for the final once again. This time the club from Kolkata emerged victorious through penalty shootout in the extra time.

The history is intense between the Blasters and the Kolkata-outfit and this season, the opening game will be a rematch of the ISL season 3 final, when Kerala Blasters and ATK square off against each other at Kochi on November 17.

This time around though, both the teams have been completely revamped. The Kochi-based outfit
has hired ex-Manchester United assistant coach, René Meulensteen as head coach while signing former Red Devils marksman, Dimitar Berbatov as its marquee player.

ATK, on the other hand, has called off its partnership with La Liga giants Atletico de Madrid after three successful years and has completely revamped their technical staff by bringing in I-League winning coach Ashley Westwood as technical director and Manchester United-legend Teddy Sheringham as their manager.

Current Form

Kerala Blasters 0-0 Gokulam FC (Pre-season Friendly)

The Blasters took to Spain for their pre-season training and played four matches resulting in 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.

After returning to India, they took part in a closed-door friendly with I-League debutants Gokulam FC, which stood at 0-0 at the final whistle.

However, not much has been disclosed about the training matches by the team. A few images which
have surfaced online suggest that Wes Brown, Iain Hume, Nemanja Lakic-Pesic, Courage Pekuson, Mark Sifneos and Paul Rachubka have all featured for the team in their pre-season friendly, along with CK Vineeth, Rino Anto, Milan Singh and Siam Hangal.
Courage Pekuson and Mark Sifneos have been reported to have scored during their friendlies.

ATK 2-1 Neroca FC (Pre-season Friendly)

ATK travelled to Dubai for their pre-season training and took part in two friendly matches with local clubs.

They won both the matches with the last match being played against UAE Division One team Dibba Al-Hisn Sports & Culture Club.

After returning to India, the red, white and blues played a practice match against I-League club Neroca FC which ended in a 2-1 win for ATK.

However, just like the Blasters, ATK too hasn’t revealed too much other than the scorelines and that Bipin Singh, Rupert Nongrum and Robbie Keane had all found the back of the net during their friendlies.

However, Robby Keane has been confirmed to have suffered an Achilles tendon injury and is supposed to out for two weeks.

ATK has confirmed that the former Irish international will miss the
opening game against the arch-rivals

Kerala Blasters Lineup

Head coach, Muelensteen, has a variety of talent in the final third of the pitch featuring both Indian
players and foreigners. Iain Hume returns to Kerala Blasters after spending two seasons at rivals ATK.

Hume is the all-time top scorer in the ISL and will look to be entrusted with the goal-scoring duties
up front.

Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper – Subhashish Roy
Centre-back – Sandesh Jhingan, Wes Brown
Left-back – Lalruattharra
Right back – Rino Anto
Central Midfield – Milan Singh, Siam Hangal
Right attacking midfield – Courage Pekuson
Left attacking midfield – CK Vineeth
Central attacking midfield – Dimitar Berbatov
Striker – Iain Hume

Marquee player Berbatov has already made it clear that he would not be playing as a striker and will rather take up a decreased role. The Bulgarian’s creativity and experience will be much appreciated
in a number 10.

Courage Pekuson’s speed and CK Vineeth’s attacking instinct will provide incisiveness on either side
of Berbatov.

While Siam Hangal and Milan Singh might be entrusted with the responsibility to break opposition attacks, shield the back four and create attacks from the back.

The defence features home-grown talents like Jhingan and Rino Anto, who have repeatedly proved their mettle in the ISL and I-League, as well as the experience of ex-Manchester United defender,Wes Brown. Jhingan and Brown will be expected to create a solid centre-back partnership with Rino Anto and Lalruattharra featuring on the right and left back positions respectively.

ATK Lineup

Even though the team is new ATK retains title-winning pedigree with Westwood and Sheringham.

Furthermore, they already have a blueprint of how to achieve success in ISL with their two ISL titles.

Sheringham has traditionally favoured a 4-4-2 approach and will look to create a solid defence and
engage in direct attacks from open play.

Formation: 4-4-2
Goalkeeper – Debjit Majumdar
Centre-back – Tom Thorpe, Jordi Figueras
Left-back – Keegan Pereira
Right-back – Prabir Das
Central Midfield – Conor Thomas, Eugeneson Lyngdoh
Right attacking midfield – Carl Baker
Left attacking midfield – Jayesh Rane
Striker – Robin Singh, Njazi Kuqi

Thorpe and Figueras will be expected to form solid bedrock in defence. Prabir Das can be used in a variety of roles but should see himself feature in the right back position. He is one of the players to have been retained by ATK (apart for goalkeeper Debjit Majumdar).

Mumbai City FC import Keegan Pereira will look to feature on the left back, while Conor Thomas will
act as the defensive shield for the back four. Eugeneson Lyngdoh will be entrusted to create attacks from the midfield and supply passes to the front two and the wingers.

With Jayesh Rane and Carl Baker on the left and right flanks, ATK will look to provide marksmen Robin Singh and Kuqi, plenty of opportunities to score. Since Keane will be out with an injury, Kuqi might find a place in the starting lineup.

Key Battle: Thorpe (ATK) vs Iain Hume (Kerala Blasters)

The home team will depend on Hume and his never-die attitude, to bang in the goals, like he did in the inaugural season.

In order to contain Hume from wreaking havoc in the ATK’s defence, Thorpe will be provided with the responsibility to cage the Canadian and restrict him from finding spaces within the penalty area.

It will be interesting to see how the young defender fares against the tournament’s top scorer.

Talking Points

Will Kerala’s defence stand tall in front of ATK’s attack?

Though Berbatov remains a world-class player, he hasn’t played a professional game since May 31,
2016. Kerala’s striking force will mainly depend on Hume to bring in the goals, while Jhingan and Brown’s partnership at the back will be expected to keep out invaders.

ATK, on the other hand, has been built mainly around proven Indian players like Lyngdoh, Prabir Das and Robin Singh. Additionally, they have chosen to enforce key areas like defence, flanks and striker with foreign signings.

The team has been built to play direct football and their attack will look to test the Blasters’ defensive cohesion.

Prediction: ATK 1-0 Kerala Blasters

The game will be a test of who plays the best attacking football with both managers having Manchester United on their resume. Meulensteen might turn out to be the more defensive of the two and might look to sit deep and strike on the counter. Sheringham, on the other hand, will look to control the ball and use one of the foreign forwards to provide service to Robin Singh in front of the goal.

However, none of the managers will like to risk it all in the opening game of the season since it will be crucial to building confidence. At the end, I expect ATK to edge the Blasters with a single goal.

Kingsman (The Golden Circle) – Movie Review

The first edition of this series did enough for the studio to warrant a sequel. While the first part showed how Eggsy (Taron Egerton) became a Kingsman, the second part moves the story forward after the death of Harry (Colin Firth). But does this movie live up to the expectations or does it join the club of flop sequels? Read on for the verdict.

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Screenplay: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman

Series: Kingsman Film Series

P.S: This review has spoilers! So, if you’re planning to watch the movie, you better jump down the verdict section directly.

Plot

The film opens with Eggsy (Taron Egerton) being shown as to have evolved to become an epitome of Kingsman. Dressed sharply with a confident strut and the swag to fight off a 1000 men single handed. The film does not waste time to jump into action with the very first action sequence coming in very early.

Within the first 10 minutes of the film, you’ll be able to understand that the same elements which made Kingsman kind-of-a-hit first time around, have been revamped and put on steroids in the second edition.

Mark Strong reprises his role as Merlin and forms a very close relationship with Eggsy. On the other hand, he has seemingly found himself a princess (literally!) as well. Strangely enough, his mother and younger sister have not been referenced in this film.

Amidst all the hullabaloo with his royal girlfriend and weed smokin’ friends, an old foe returns with a new kingpin. That’s where things start to get interesting!

Review

The plot of the movie is not very compact but good enough for a weekend entertainer. There a few things that really works for the movie. First, there’s a bit of flash and bling in the movie that is reticent of the first film.

In addition, a few known faces like Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry have been roped in with significant roles. There’s one more star-studded addition to the cast, but I will not disclose that for the sake of those who haven’t yet watched the film.

However, the biggest attraction of the film remains the high octane action sequences. The action sequences walk the fine line between clever and stupid and those watching them can have either of two things about them – absolute rubbish or absolute genius. There’s a lot of innovation with regards to the stunt choreography. So much so, that in some sections, it rivals the action sequences in Rajnikant’s film.

The saving grace remains the comedy, the calibre of the performances from a core group of actors, the whistle-worthy stereotypical dialogues and the small twists in the screenplay. The end of the movie gives plenty of assurance that there is a sequel coming, which has incidentally also been confirmed.

Verdict

If you’re not looking for something that’s going to make you think and rather enjoy larger-than-life characters, superhero-esque spy characters and action sequences that will blow your mind, then you should definitely head to the theatres.

The film is a pure entertainer and the characters showcase that quite well. There is no effort in making it seem more than it is and that is commendable. In strictly objective terms, the sequel did manage to upstage the original film in some sections and it remains to be seen what new mass extinction threatening disasters the makers think up in the next part.

Marhaba Food Review

On Saptami night (the seventh day of Durga Pooja celebrations), we went looking for some Mughlai and North Indian delicacies and found yourself Marhaba.

Where Did I Order?

This is a new restaurant situated on Gariahat Road (south) near Narendra Seva Trust. It’s on the main road and is kind of a surprise since that place has been vacant for many years now.

What Did I Order?

The restaurant name literally means ‘God is Love’ as per Syriac origin. Going by the influences, it seemed like a Mughlai and North Indian cuisine restaurant but we were surprised to find Chinese dishes as well. However, since the focus of the restaurant seemed to be on Mughlai dishes, we ordered accordingly. We ordered a full plate of Chicken Reshmi Kebab, half plate of Chicken Tandoori, Butter Nan (tandoor-baked flatbread basted with butter) and Chicken Tikka Butter Masala.

How Was the Food?

We’ll rate the food in two parts – appetizers and main. They had run out of deserts so we could not order any. It’s understandable during the pooja and so we will not be negative marking it.

The reshmi kebab was the first to arrive and there were 6 pieces of boneless chicken on the plate. Reshmi kebab is usually mild and the marinate is yoghurt based. As a result, it has a subtle taste and usually looks white. The char on the chicken was nice and then when I cut kebab open, it was nice and juicy inside. So, the kebab tasted exactly how it should. The kebab was accompanied by a kimchi-style salad.

Now, we weren’t thinking of ordering a Chicken Tandoori initially, but given their work on the Reshmi Kebab, we felt encouraged to try their Tandoori. It was unlike any other Tandoori. Most restaurants use edible food colours to bring on that bright red tandoori colour that’s usually their signature. But, we could see that these guys did not use any artificial colours and went the old-school way. Just the way I like it!

The meat was tender and perfectly cooked. The char on the outside was crisp and tasted great. It was extremely flavoursome and had a nice smoky overtone. Definitely 5/5 for the appetizers.

The main course has butter nan and Chicken Tikka Butter Masala. While the butter nan was light, airy and crispy, the tikka butter masala did not live up to the expectations. The famous Tikka Butter Masala usually includes Chicken Tikka kebab doused in butter masala curry.

So, that gives you a rich, buttery gravy along with tandoor grilled pieces of Tikka Kebab. Unfortunately, the curry did not integrate all the elements properly and the spices seemed undercook. Had this been done properly, it can be one of the most delicious dishes ever. Following that, we’ll rate the main 2/5.

My Advice to the Restaurant

What’s Bad?

Your appetizers are to die for. Though we have not tasted any of the other main courses other than the Tikka Butter Masala, we would love it if you can show some love to those dishes as well.

What’s Good?

The service is awesome. Your waiters and managers are really well suited for the job and know how to manage clients. We saw numerous situations which could have been mishandled like a baby crying loudly, or a waiter dropping a dish, but both were handled very professionally.

The ambience is really nice and lastly, the price is fair. So, keep up the good job and look forward to better dishes from you.

Krazy Biriyani Food Review

Hello and welcome to SayantanWrites’ first food review. I have been posting restaurant reviews and food commentary for years on platforms such as Zomato. But after my recent experience with Krazy Biriyani, I thought of at last making the move to my own blog.

Where Did I Order?

So, first of all, let me start by giving you an overview of Krazy Biriyani. They are Indian and Chinese cuisine restaurant in Jadavpur, South Kolkata. They have a 4.0-star rating on Zomato and seem to be doing well based on their recent ratings.

What Did I Order?

I ordered a Mutton Biriyani and Chicken Chap from the restaurant, quite a traditional combo. The biriyani has one big potato, one piece of mutton and one egg. That’s generous for only a 100 bucks!

How Was the Food?

While judging a biriyani, usually a few factors are taken into consideration – oil content, spice content, fluffy-ness of the rice and cook on the meat. Let’s see how Krazy Biriyani stands up to these parameters.

Biriyani is a very subtle dish that uses strong spices and yet turns out to be a light, mildly spicy dish. If a biriyani is drenched with oil, its generally because the process wasn’t perfect. Krazy Biriyani had a really oily biriyani. It neither tastes well nor is it good for your health. Thumbs down for this one – 1/5.

Like I mentioned, biriyani isn’t supposed to be very spicy or heavy on the stomach. The aroma of this mutton biriyani reeked of rose water and keora jal. It was really spicy and not at all what I expected it to be. 2/5  is the highest I can rate.

The rice wasn’t as fluffy either. Though they used the right kind of rice, it wasn’t as enjoyable due to the oil and spices. 2/5 again mostly because the rice was light, but the oil killed it.

Lastly, the meat. The meat was cooked perfectly and fell off the bone. That is the perfect measure of a biriyani meat. Thumbs up, at last! 5/5 – It’s a super hit!

 

 

The chicken chap which is kind of a usual accompaniment to a biriyani for many Kolkatans lacked real flavour. A Chap is usually cooked on a spread out pan with high edges on low heat to generate flavour. This dish lacked any such profile and instead was quite plain. 1/5 -It just wasn’t a chap.

My Advice to the Restaurant

What’s bad-

Fire your karigar (as most Mughlai chefs are often called) and hire people who do know how to create a Mughlai dish. For more assurance, ask your chefs to prepare something for you before you hire them. Apologies if this does seem rude, but people pay to eat and they deserve something better.

What’s good-

Btw, your customer service is really good. The people are polite and kind. Just how service professionals should be. Keep it up!