Ryuji Sueoka

Calcutta: A strong midfield has been pivotal behind East Bengal’s ascent over the last three years. For the coming season, though, the team will be without influential playmaker Penn Orji.

The induction of Ryuji Sueoka, however, is seen as an alternative to Penn.

Sueoka has been consistent in proving his efficiency, especially during the two seasons with Salgaocar SC. For his part, though, Sueoka doesn’t want to be drawn into any comparison with Penn, who has shifted allegiance to Mohammedan Sporting.

He will rather focus on his versatility, which should boost East Bengal further and help them come out on top.

“There is a difference between the playing style of Penn and that of mine. Penn operates from a more attacking position. I do respect him for the way he plays. But I just want to concentrate on my own performance… Don’t want to think much about him,” the Japanese said, here, at the club tent, on Monday.

Coach Marcos Falopa, too, should find it interesting that one of the vital components of his team’s midfield prefers the application of the diamond system. “In any case, we’ve got a strong midfield. And if I operate as a midfielder, we can attack more. I feel if we apply the diamond system in our play, it will really be helpful,” Sueoka stressed.

The Edeh Chidi-Sueoka combination had played a stellar role in leading Salgaocar to I-League and Federation Cup titles. And the 34-year-old sounds pretty confident of an encore.

“I do have an idea about how Chidi goes on, considering the number of matches I played alongside him. I hope we’ll combine well again.”

Set to don the No. 11 jersey, Sueoka looks quite clear about his objective in his upcoming stint with East Bengal — win the club the I-League title.

Before signing off, he had a word of advice for the Indian football. “India need to follow the Japanese model more instead of looking solely at the English Premier League. Like their Japanese counterparts, most Indian footballers aren’t big-bodied. Despite the limitations, Japan are the top side in Asia at present. So I feel Japan has set an example, which India too should follow,” Sueoka elaborated.