ATK Mohun Bagan, are 7th in the standings with 20 points from 12 games. Meanwhile, their opponents in the next game, Hyderabad FC are currently top in the standing with 26 points from 14 games. The current table toppers are going from strength to strength as they look to solidify their pole position against Juan Ferrando’s side who are desperate to get back to winning ways as they look to get into the top four places at the table.
Hyderabad coach Juan Ferrando believes the best form of defence is an attack as they take on Hyderabad FC. The Nizams defeated NorthEast United FC by a 5-0 scoreline in their last match. Whereas the Mariners played out a 1-1 draw against Mumbai City FC in their last game.
ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando addressed the media in the pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s game against Hyderabad FC at the GMC Athletic Stadium.
Below are the excerpts of coach Juan Ferrando from the press conference.
ATK Mohun conceded a late goal in the first leg of the fixture. Juan spoke on if he expects it to be a tight match once again.
“The situation is different from last time. I think all the teams have changed a lot in so many ways, strategically or tactically. Teams have had players in quarantine or injured so it becomes necessary to change some details. For example, our plan for tomorrow’s game is different from our last game against Hyderabad FC.”
Ferrando spoke about how he is planning to organise your defence against such strong opposition.
“The best defence is the best attack. This is our style. If we are playing in attack it’s not necessary to work in defence. So we will be playing according to it and we will see what happens in the game.”
Ferrando spoke on if he is devising a plan to stop goal machine Bartholomew Ogbeche.
“No, I don’t think it’s necessary to put all the focus on Bartholomew Ogbeche. But, Hyderabad’s entire lineup and substitutions are filled with good players. Ogbeche is the star of the team, but I think those behind him, like the job of Joao Victor, the job of Edu Garcia, the wingers are important. There are a lot of players behind him to give him chances and we need to be wary of that.”
Juan spoke about how he is planning on tackling a dominating side like Hyderabad FC.
“Of course, we have a plan, but our style is to try to keep the ball, find the spaces and we try to attack in the open spaces. I hope we have chances to win the game. I’m happy because in the last games against Odisha FC, SC East Bengal, Mumbai City FC, we had chances. But, for me, the most important thing is that these chances are now converted to goals. That’s how we can gain success.”
The number of missed passes have been getting higher. Ferrando spoke on if thinks it’s a problem.
“No, because we want to win. Our way is if you want to win you need goals. If you need to score goals you need to create spaces. If you create spaces then players need to use spaces. When you use these spaces you create chances. This is our way but I repeat it’s not easy. In one month the players have worked with me, we were in quarantine for 20 days. We try to improve game-by-game with a lot of pressure because we want to get the three points.”
Juan spoke on if he thinks there’s still hope for the team to finish top of the table and qualify for the AFC Champions League.
“That is our target. Of course, our other target is to get the three points in the next game and take it game-by-game. For me, the most important thing is to think about Hyderabad FC and NorthEast United FC. Because then we can reach the top of the table. If we think about finishing top of the table and not do bot focus on our daily job then it’s difficult to be successful in future. I think it’s important to think about the present and not the future.”
It seems Ashutosh Mehta, Deepak Tangri, and Manvir Singh haven’t been at their best in the last couple of games. Are you looking to change them?
“For me, Deepak Tangri is fantastic in press. But of course, he needs to improve in build-up play which is normal. It’s my job to help him improve. Ashutosh has good positioning. He played in the left-back position against FC Goa and Hyderabad FC and his performance was very good. He needs to be better at deciding moments to attack. I am not upset about them. They will improve.”