'Pressure is a privilege': East Bengal head coach Andrews on IWL 2024-25 title victory

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Billed as favourites, taking pressure as ‘privilege’, East Bengal FC rocked their way towards the Indian Women’s League 2024-25 title, with a dozen wins in 14 games.

It’s been an exact mirror image of their previous season. Just one win and one draw in 2023-24. Just one defeat and one draw this time around. The prospect of the 2025-26 season is even bigger as the Red and Golds prepare to take on the continent’s best, being India’s representatives in the AFC Women’s Champions League.

East Bengal hired a serial winner in the name of Anthony Andrews, signed some of the best players in the country, and smartly recruited a few game-changing foreigners. Hell bent on lifting the IWL trophy, the Moshal Girls played some of the most scintillating football the women’s game has ever seen in India, dominating opponents left, right and centre.

“Of course, when you’re labelled as favourites, there’s always pressure. But pressure is a privilege — it means people expect something from you. We embraced that. We never shied away from it and used it as motivation to perform consistently. We trusted the process and kept our focus on the day-to-day work rather than external expectations,” said Anthony to i-league.org

And even on occasions they couldn't dominate, East Bengal had the innocuous ability to grind out results, evident by several one-goal margin victories. And even when they couldn’t win a game, they simply made up for it by replying with a steamroller of a winning streak.

After suffering their only defeat in Round 5 at the hands of multiple-time champions Gokulam Kerala, East Bengal made sure to never repeat any mistakes until the end of the season, winning six on the trot and sealing the title with a game to spare.

The head coach also reflected on the loss against Kerala and applauded his side’s champion mentality. "That loss hurt, no doubt. But sometimes, a setback is what a team needs to reset and refocus. We analysed it, addressed a few things tactically and mentally, and made sure we didn’t carry any baggage from that result.

"The response from the players was incredible — they showed character, unity, and hunger. That’s what champions do — they bounce back stronger," he added.

Ultimately, the 3-0 win over the Malabarians at the East Bengal Club Ground on the final day was the sweetest cherry on the cake. April 18, 2025, was more than just an East Bengal matchday. It was a celebration of the first national league title in 21 years for the century-old club. That too at their own turf.

--IANS

aaa/bc