The night is the darkest before dawn and the East Bengal fans have learnt it the hard way. The Indian Super League club finished at the bottom of the league in the 2021-22 season and been in the bottom three in every season since 2020.
Mohun Bagan, its archrival, on the other hand, has won the Indian Super League title and every Kolkata derby since 2019 until the last season. Manchester United vibes? Pretty much.
But the 2023-24 season has seen a sea change as the club has brought in a fresh batch of players and an ISL-winning coach in Carles Cuadrat.