Juan Ferrando: Liston Colaco's form is affecting the team

The ATK Mohun Bagan boss revealed why he signed Federico Gallego.

ATK Mohun Bagan are hopeful of getting back to winning ways in the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) when they travel to face a struggling Jamshedpur FC side on Thursday. Juan Ferrando’s side have fallen down to fifth place and are quite a bit away from the top-three. They now need a win to kick start a strong end to the season.

How do ATKMB solve goal-scoring issues?

The biggest bane behind ATK Mohun Bagan’s struggles this season has been their goal-scoring issues. With just 20 goals in 16 games, they have one of the worst goal-scoring records in the league. Juan Ferrando addressed this major issue ahead of the Jamshedpur game, saying: “You don’t have to describe the stats of the match. If you see those, you’ll see that we create a lot of opportunities in every match – but we also miss a lot of chances. That is all. If one part of the team has three shots on target, they tend to score. But sometimes, we have eight shots on target and have zero goals from it.

“ We’re working on improving our final third product. Maybe it’s psychological, maybe emotional or a lack of confidence. There are a lot of reasons for it, more than technical or tactical aspects. Sometimes we’re unlucky. For example in the games against Mumbai City and Odisha, their keepers were perfect – sometimes opponents play with extra motivation against us and it’s necessary to accept this. We’re unhappy about the situation, but we must continue to support them and support the players. We’re working and have the confidence to fight for the last games,” he added.

Does ATKMB need a box-striker?

Ferrando was questioned if he needs strikers that can be in the box more often to convert chances. To this, he replied: “I explain this all the time that when we play in the attack, the responsibility is on all the players. For me, there is no difference between Hugo, Dimitri, Gallego, Liston or Manvir. This season we’ve been unlucky not to score goals. Dimitri has done very well, Hugo has done well in assisting and Manvir has had success in one-on-one chances. Brendan gets success in set-pieces at times. It’s not about us needing one genuine no.9, because if you just have one no.9 and he gets injured, then what happens?

“If you see the statistics, then except for Mumbai (Diaz), a lot of the players play in the second half – they have no box no.9’s. Football is about timing and space. If you have a good connection within the team, with the players knowing the best moment to find the spaces, you’ll win the ISL. If you see Mumbai's games, you’ll see their timing of the attacks and the timing of the wingers going into the box is perfect. My squad has a lot of quality, my players have talent. Sometimes we have success, but maybe we need to work more on psychological moments. I hope we change and all the time my feedback for the players is positive. I want to give them more confidence to improve in the final third,” he added.

Lengthy reply to Liston’s drop in form

Liston Colaco is undergoing a really poor run of form this season. When asked about what happened to him, Juan Ferrando delivered a lengthy explanation and stated: “Of course, his form is affecting the team. When the performance of him, Hugo, Dimitri isn’t good – of course that causes problems. Hugo (Boumous) is a regular and every four/five matches his performance is good. The most important thing about Liston is to support him to be good for four or five matches.

“Here, when it comes to the local players and younger players, they have no support. When they don’t have success in one cross or in a one-on-one situation, immediately they are broke. Then they start losing the ball and have issues. When the feeling from the last match isn’t good, then in the next one you feel like you are playing with eight players. The solution is to continue to support them and give them confidence. It’s not only about winning matches but to give players confidence and continuing working with them. When they are struggling, to help them find solutions. Of course, Liston isn’t performing well but we must keep supporting him.

“I repeat all the time that Liston is only 24. His best years will be when he is 28 or 29. If we support him now, his future will be in the best position. This is my mentality towards him. If we think that he isn’t performing well, that will bring him down. At ATK Mohun Bagan, everyone kills us if we don’t perform well. Because he started showing a lot of quality when he was 19-20 and expectations are high. But for me, the best option is to support him and this is our target. It’s impossible to depend on one player.

“Even around the world, when they are 17 or 18 their performances are not very good. But after two-three seasons, they are performing at their best. My thinking is to continue supporting Liston and work with him, to help him gain confidence. If his performances aren’t the best in the end, that’s fine. If you keep working in a good way, it can change your mentality and confidence. Of course, we’re upset when we have no success, but I trust that the players will change this mentality when we’re not performing well,” he added.

Difficulties in dealing with crosses

After conceding both goals in the Bengaluru FC game due to their inability to defend crosses, the mentor was asked if that is a problem for his team. He answered: “When you decide to play attacking football, it’s normal for opponents to find spaces in the wings. You need to change the mentality here. If we want to protect our wing-backs, then the wingers have to drop back and help the defenders and the no.10 must come back to support the no.8. I don’t like this. I explain this all the time, it’s important to play in attack and control the spaces. But we need to learn how to deal with the transitions.

“We have quality, but sometimes it’s my job to help the players find the best spaces and realize the best moments in transitions as well as deal with crosses of the opponents. A lot of practice, time and work is necessary for that. I’m not afraid about this, because I like to work on stopping the second balls of the opponent because for us the most important in the end is to win the match. If you think a lot about defence, maybe you can win one-two matches. Of course, attacking football is risky – but life is a risk,” he further quipped.

Have ATKMB’s performances dropped after Kauko injury?

When asked if he feels ATKMB have failed to maintain their fluid performances since Joni Kauko got injured, Juan Ferrando explained: “Of course, things have changed since Joni’s injury and that forced us to change our plans. But for me, the best thing when it comes to Hugo or Joni is that they can decide when to get the ball in the best positions. It’s important for the rest of the team to give the ball to Hugo in the best positions. That isn’t easy, but it’s my job to to work with the defenders and midfielders to find Hugo in the best positions. The problem is that you want to play fluid attacking football, but then it’s necessary to work, work and work.

“But this season, and I don’t want to use these as excuses, when you have so many injuries and so many players missing, that causes problems. Sometimes we needed to play against mannequins, we don’t like doing that, but when you have 12 players at times, this becomes a reality. For me, the style is football is clear and we’re working in the same way to achieve that. I want the team to find these moments, and be confident with the ball. It's in these moments that the players feel pressure at times. I’m here to tell them to not take much pressure, I’m here to support them. It’s part of football to fail in some passes and misplace easy passes. Football is 80% about the failures, the rest is the success. It’s like this,” he stated.  

Reason behind Fede Gallego signing

Finally, upon being asked about why he opted to sign a no.10 like Federico Gallego – while already having Hugo Boumous – apart from a winger or another striker, Ferrando stated: “This kind of player, like Gallego is – for example if I compare with Hugo, he is a workhorse in my team. He knows when to keep the ball and when you have to attack. He is open to anything. We need players like them. At this moment, it’s difficult to find good no.9’s or good wingers. Because in January, the best players are in clubs – at least 90% of them. You can hear about one or two players, but I don’t like these situations. I like to find players who can move the rest of the players. Gallego also knows the league perfectly.

“If I signed another player who doesn’t know about the league, that could cause problems. Hugo, for example, played for Goa and Mumbai before joining us. I’m happy because my foreign players understand all the concepts. The likes of Hugo, Gallego and Dimitri can move the team forward. They know when to find the last passes. We need smart players. It’s important to move the team. If you have one good no.9, you’ll yourself struggle to create chances. I like the type of players like Hugo, Gallego and Brendan more than those who aren’t accustomed to the league. This is my way,” he finished with.