East Bengal, still a work in progress, were completely outclassed by Akbar Nawaz's Chennai City FC in Kolkata....

Chennai City FC’s Spanish masterclass humbled East Bengal at their own den in an I-League third round clash on Tuesday.

Sandro Rodriguez and Nestor Gordilla were on target to clinch full points for Akbar Nawaz’s side in a very tough away fixture against the Red and Golds. Enrique Esqueda scored the only goal for the Kolkata giants.

East Bengal’s Spanish coach Alejandro Menendez made two changes in the starting which defeated Shillong Lajong a fortnight back in Lajong 3-1. Samad Ali Mallick came in the right-back position in place of Lalram Chullova and Yami Longvah replaced Brandon Vanlalremdika on the left flank.

The Kolkata giants had picked up two away wins in their first two away matches by maintaining just 35 per cent possession. While the expectation was that the team would change their approach at home, in reality, East Bengal were once again the second-best side in every aspect.

Chennai City controlled the game throughout 90 minutes and completely bossed over East Bengal's midfield. The central midfield duo of Kamalpreet Singh and Lalrindika Ralte once again failed to make any impact both defensively and in attack.

Kamalpreet, a natural right-back, was made to play in the central midfield by former East Bengal coach Subhash Bhowmick in the Calcutta Football League (CFL). After Alejandro came, in the trend has continued.

East Bengal have five overseas players in their squad this season out of which two are midfielders (Mahmoud Al Amna and Kassim Aidara). While Amna is out of action since the beginning of the I-League. Aidara has not found a place in Alejandro’s system. This actually questions the intention behind recruiting a player like Aidara.

Aidara was an integral part of Minerva Punjab’s title-winning campaign last season but the 31-year-old Senegalese midfielder lacks pace. Aidara seems a misfit in the Spanish coach’s plans.

The lack of quality in midfield was well exploited by Chennai City FC today. The Spanish trio of Sandro, Nestor and Pedro Manzi constantly maintained the pressure in the attacking third and kept East Bengal’s backline busy. Had they been a little more clinical upfront, the scoreline would have been embarrassing for the Kolkata club.

The recruitment of the three Spanish attackers is a result of extensive scouting in Spain carried out by Akbar Nawaz and his assistant Jordi Vila, someone who has the experience of working with Pep Guardiola and has scouted the likes of Sandro Ramirez and Mauro Icardi.

Chennai City had unearthed a talent like Michael Soosairaj last season and are now giving an avenue for more players like Pravitto Raju, Alexander Jesuraj, Alexander Romario and Enwin Vanspaul.

The South Indian outfit are showing early promise of being title favourites this season. If they continue to perform consistently I-League may witness yet another fairytale story this season.