Juan Ferrando: Our target is to be on top of the table

The coach also heaped praise on the FC Goa side.

ATK Mohun Bagan will meet FC Goa on Sunday in this week's last ISL fixture. While ATK Mohun Bagan will be buoyant with an undefeated streak of four games, FC Goa will be entering the match against the backdrop of a 3-1 defeat to Kerala Blasters. Currently, the two teams are in consecutive places on the points table, with Juan Ferrando's side being in the fourth place while Carlos Pena's in fifth.

After five matches, ATK Mohun Bagan have 12 points while FC Goa possess eight. On Sunday, FC Goa will like to get back to winning ways and ATK Mohun Bagan will like to continue with their momentum.

One day before the game, ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando and striker Kiyan Nassiri addressed a press conference. Edited excerpts from the conference are as follows.

On the difference in coaching ATK Mohun Bagan and FC Goa

Ferrando said that the primary role of being the head coach has been similar in both teams. The only difference, according to him, is the pressure of winning for the fans. He said, "At the end of the day, it is quite the same. When you work as a coach you have a lot of responsibilities. Of course, here in this club, there is a lot of pressure as the fans only think about winning matches. But obviously, in both clubs, my job was the same.

He added, "We have a responsibility towards the players, towards the club to help the club, and to find a solution for everybody. This is the same in all the clubs around the world. When you are a head coach, you have big responsibilities. More or less, I try to do the best thing for everybody."

Hopeful for a table-top finish at the end of the season?

The head coach asserted that ATK Mohun Bagan has the potential to have a table-top finish. He also said that there are many strong teams in the league and it won't be easy for his side. He said, "Our target, our mentality is to be on top of the table. In the last three seasons, we have missed a chance to play in the AFC Champions League.

Juan Ferrando continued, "I feel today that it is very important to play in the AFC Champions League because when you are in the Champions League, you can improve as a team, you can improve as a club, and you can improve Indian football. This is our mentality of course. We are working to try to do our best in every match.

"I hope at the end of the season we will be on top of the table and win the championship. At this moment, it seems there are six or seven teams very strong. It is thus important to play every match as a final," he added.

Thoughts on FC Goa

Juan Ferrando expressed his opinion on the quality of FC Goa. He said, "Let's be clear, our next opponent has a very good team. Their performance at the start of the season was very good. There is not much to talk about the foreign players because you can see their CV. Alvaro Vazquez, Iker (Guarrotxena), and Marc Valiente — these three players are basic in the team.

He added, "They have very good Indian players too in my opinion, who can support the team. It's a compact team. They are very clear in both attack and defence. In my point of view, tomorrow, it will be a difficult match."

Happy with ATKMB's performance so far?

Ferrando said that even though his team is playing well, he is not completely satisfied with his side's performance so far. He said, "No, I am never completely happy because I know we can improve every day. I know this squad is very good. But the most important thing for all players is to work in the same way step-by-step. I think this is the most difficult thing here in India.

He continued, "As I have repeatedly said, we talk a lot about 'Man of the Match' and 'Hero of the Match'. This is not good for Indian football. Sometimes we forget that football is a team game. It is necessary for players to accept their roles. The same with the head coach.

"It is good for the game when a team is working as a team. This is also my personal target. When we win, lose, or pick a draw, is it because we played as a team, or is it because of one individual act that we got the three points or we lost a match? I think it is our target for the future to work in this way," he added.

FC Goa's last game's defeat will be of advantage to ATKMB?

On being asked whether FC Goa's defeat in their previous game will be beneficial for his team, Juan Ferrando repeated his opinion on Goa and believed it would not affect the game in a significant manner. He said, "I repeat that FC Goa started the season very strongly. They had started the season in a manner to make the top three.

"In their match against Kerala, we can talk about the last five minutes of the first half. Their team was out of the contest for (those) five minutes. When you are down 2-0, it is very difficult to change the score. Yesterday's game was an exception (East Bengal vs Odisha FC game). But Odisha has changed scorelines three times already," added the tactician.

He further stated, "But, I think FC Goa is a very strong side this season. They are a strong team in terms of many tactical points. We will be playing offshore. The quality of their players and their process is strong. The game against Kerala, for them, was not a special day. They are professional players. They won't be thinking about their defeat against Kerala."

Kiyan Nassiri on having the coach's confidence at such a young age

Kiyan said how having the head coach's confidence is important for a player. He mentioned, "The chief coach's trust does affect a young player. It's a big confidence boost for any young player. It shows that around so many other players, there's a spot for you and you have an important role in the team."