Juan Ferrando’s ATK Mohun Bagan FC will be going into the game against NorthEast United FC in high spirits following their 2-1 win against Hyderabad FC on the previous week held on the 8th of February, 2022. NorthEast United, on the other hand, is going into this match in relatively low spirits, owing to their 5-0 battering by the hands of Hyderabad FC.
Both teams are looking to change their fortunes in tomorrow’s match for contrasting reasons by themselves. ATK Mohun Bagan will look to push further up the table by securing a much needed 3 points tomorrow whilst NorthEast United are desperately looking to end their drought of points, and if ever there is a time to do so, it is now.
Juan Ferrando, the coach of ATK Mohun Bagan, said that it is true that injuries have plagued his team. With key players like Roy Krishna suffering a hamstring injury along with McHugh. Hugo Boumous is going through a groin injury, and both Williams and Kiyan Nassiri are feeling a niggle, respectively, and Sandesh Jhingan is not fit to play. The gaffer goes on to say, “There are two reasons for players to get injured. One part of the injury is normal due to players quarantining as a result of Covid, and the training intensity often doesn’t agree with some players coming out of quarantine. The second reason is mostly due to knocks in training due to the high intensity and Covid.”
He goes on to appreciate ATK Mohun Bagan’s medical team by saying, “I am extremely happy because we got a good medical staff at the club, and the players are more or less fit. We shall see what happens in the last moment, and accordingly, we will prepare the line-up for tomorrow.”
When asked about why Sandesh Jhingan is not starting, Juan Ferrando replied saying, “Jhingan had been training with us at the starting of January, but towards the end of the month, he contracted Covid the moment he joined up with the first-team squad and had to quarantine. After 6-7 months, Jhingan must get time to train, and he needs a pre-season to get back to full match fitness. It is difficult for me to give him game-time at the moment because if I put him on for even 30 minutes, it will impact the intensity of the match, and this is not a friendly match where I can take such a risk. The matches are highly competitive.” Ferrando further adds that he is happy with Jhingan’s progress in training, and eventually, he will be gradually given more game-time.
Juan Ferrando is confident that his side will secure a win against NorthEast United FC and cement their place in the top four, and this win will help them mount a proper title challenge. He appreciated NorthEast United FC and also said that his team needs to watch out for players like Deshorn Brown, who can capitalise on even the smallest of errors and put the ball in the back of the net with maximum accuracy. Thus, ATK Mohun Bagan FC must focus more on their defensive prowesses and their ability going forward in training. He feels that his players have more than enough going into the match on Saturday to get over the line despite losing key players in key positions due to injuries, Covid, etc.
Juan Ferrando ended on a confident note saying, “I think that we will 100% finish in the top four with 35-36 points but personally, I want to finish top of the table, and from my point of view I think ending the season with 58 points will guarantee us that.”
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