Juan Ferrando reveals why Hugo Boumous wasn't in matchday squad

The ATK Mohun Bagan head coach believes it's important to learn to play under pressure.

ATK Mohun Bagan failed to get back to winning ways in the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) – playing out a frustrating 0-0 draw against Jamshedpur FC on Thursday. Juan Ferrando's side were uninspiring in front of goal and required Vishal Kaith to make a string of important saves to win them a point.

Ferrando’s verdict on result and ATKMB’s goal-scoring issues

Juan Ferrando lamented his side’s inability to score despite having a few chances in the game, as he said: “We had chances. We tried to do everything, but the same situation happened. Today Dimitri (Petratos), (Federico) Gallego and Kiyan (Nassiri) had chances – but we couldn’t finish them. That’s all.”

When asked about what is the solution to their scoring problems, the Spaniard stated: “The solution is only to help them improve. We have three days to recover for the next game. We need to continue working, we can’t cry or anything. Today, Gallego had some chances – Brendan had big opportunities but failed to convert.”

Reason behind Boumous’ absence

Hugo Boumous looked set to make his return from suspension in this game, but was not even in the squad for it. Revealing what happened to him, Ferrando said: “In the last moment, he pulled his hamstring. We tried to have him in training, but it was very difficult. Hugo got injured and also Carl (McHugh) picked up an injury.

“This is part of football, we are disappointed not to have all foreign players. But at this moment, when the team is struggling mentally, it would have been good to have six foreign players. Boumous has a hamstring injury. Carl has a problem with his groin,” he stated.

Ferrando praises Jamshedpur FC

The ATKMB boss picked out special praise for Jamshedpur after the result, noting the positives of their performance and saying: “Their youngsters performed well. They played in long transitions and long balls. In my point of view, they controlled the second balls very well. In the end, they had three clear opportunities in the last five minutes. The performance of the team was good because the players are ready to be part of this system.

“But in the end, we wanted to play in the attack and they had a lot of chances in transitions. Jamshedpur played the same against Mumbai, they won the second ball and pushed the opponent. They’ve only lost so many games this season because of some details. But in the normal case, Jamshedpur should’ve had more points because the squad is good, their youngsters are working hard and it’s a good team,” he added.

Reason behind uncharacteristic errors in second half

The Mariners were somewhat fortunate to get away with a point as they made some poor errors in the second half and that almost cost them. When asked if the overwhelming pressure of having to score resulted in those errors, Juan Ferrando explained: “When the team scores to win, when they have pressure to win, it’s normal to make a few mistakes. It’s normal to lose focus in defence and gain pressure. When you are in the 65-70 minute mark and drawing the game, you tend to focus more in attack and lose focus in transitions. You forget about the counter-attacks, that you need to press and defend strongly. In the end, it’s a big risk.

He added, “In the last match, it was the same. In this case, I told the players that it was good for us to learn about how to play in these situations. When we are anxious to get three points, it’s important to control the defensive transitions because teams like Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC and East Bengal play the same kind of counter-attacking football.

“When they win the second ball, you could lose the match because of one detail. It’s important for us to learn about these situations. We continue with some injuries, but this is a part of football. I support my players all the time. Of course, we have quality and can do better things but it’s important to learn to play under pressure,” he further added.

Do the ATKMB players need psychological help?

Finally, when questioned if ATK Mohun Bagan squad needs a session with a psychologist to reinvigorate them and help them regain their form for the final games, the Spaniard said: “In face to-face, we’re talking with each other in the dressing room to do the best. We need to change our mentality, be positive and think about doing things much better every day.

“When you are in this situation and aren’t feeling good, are dampened by injuries and illness, when the performance isn’t good, it’s important to tell them to continue working because I know we can change things around. Maybe we are tired, we started pre-season in July and maybe at this moment of the situation is too much for the players. It’s a good moment for us to show our character and to think about winning against Hyderabad. They play good football, but we need to think about the game and get three points in it,” he finished with.