'I know the feelings and emotions of our supporters,' says Juan Ferrando ahead of Kolkata derby

Mohun Bagan SG manager Juan Ferrando spoke ahead of the Durand Cup match

Mohun Bagan Super Giant play their first Kolkata Derby of the 2023–24 season when they face off against East Bengal in their final group game of the 2023 Durand Cup. The Mariners have already won both their games and booked a spot in the knockout stages, but this will feel personal and an important clash for them to win and earn bragging rights for their fans.

Ferrando not getting carried away with derby form

Despite seeing his side fly on an eight-match winning streak (in all competitions), Juan Ferrando doesn’t believe his side holds a major advantage against their rivals. He said: “I don’t think we’re in an advantage. This is a different match. It’s important to win the game and to get to the next round, but we’re not thinking about our past form. Our focus is in the present and to do our best tomorrow and try to get three points.”

Mohun Bagan registered their new foreign stars, Jason Cummings and Armando Sadiku, to the Durand Cup squad before the derby. When asked if they could feature in it, the Spaniard replied: “The AFC Cup is important to us as its an international competition. It’s important to focus on that match. But obviously, the players are in pre-season training, so some are ready to help the team for 20 minutes and others for 45 minutes. We have to prepare the squad as it’s the last match before AFC Cup.”

Juan Ferrando on favourites for Kolkata Derby and plans to rotate the squad for upcoming games

The gaffer didn’t really have much of a reaction to claims that his side are clear favourites to win the game, adding: “In football, emotions are important but we’re thinking to do our best tomorrow and be ready for the match on Wednesday. The matches in the past are not important.”

Upon being asked how he plans to rotate his squad for the derby and the upcoming AFC Cup qualifier against Machhindra FC, the Spaniard explained: “All the matches are difficult because in CFL we try to put in our best lineups. It’s the same for the Durand Cup and AFC Cup too because in this club we need to win every match.

“All the trophies are very important to us, this is the truth. We try to do our best and take the best decisions, but I’m not worried thinking about which game is the most important. All the matches are difficult because our opponents have a lot of quality. But it’s important to think about the next game and then try to do our best for the game after that. This is our goal, and I hope we have success in the end,” he added.

Thoughts on East Bengal

Ferrando also had some kind words for East Bengal, saying, “In this moment, they’ve signed good players. They have very good foreigners, and the local players are also very good, like, for example, Mandar (Rao Dessai) who performed ell in FC Goa and Mumbai. East Bengal has a very good squad and we’ll see that in next matches. They need time to gel. They started pre-season a few weeks ago, and they need time to see what happens in the future.”

How Juan Ferrando wants his team to play and the derby pressure

The Spanish manager also reiterated how he wants his side to play this season, claiming: “Our plan is the same all the time, that is play with our way, which is the best way. We have a quality squad and we’ll see. It’s necessary to prepare different plans because sometimes the opponents neutralize one threat and you need to find other solutions to that. For us, it’s the same that we try to find the spaces in attack, we try to keep the ball and we try to have the players in their best positions. It’s possible that the players to help the team in their best positions.”

When asked if the pressure is high on him and his players to win the derby, Ferrando admitted: “Yeah of course, it’s an important match here in Kolkata. In the last two seasons, I know the feelings and emotions of our supporters. I’m so happy to be involved in these games. We know it’s a very important match and we’re focused to work like a team, game by game and day by day do our best to win every match.”

Will Juan Ferrando field a full-strength team against East Bengal?

Finally, when questioned on whether he plans to play a ‘full strength’ starting XI against East Bengal, the gaffer stated: “The players are in pre-season, so we need to control to eliminate the risk of injuries and also prepare different plans. I’m not thinking about my best squad or best XI. The most important is for the players to understand our concepts and to help the players find their peak performance levels. It’s not possible to do that in 2-4 days.

“It’s important that the players feel better with every day and I’m still trying to find my best line-up. I hope we’ll play many games this season, so it’s necessary for us to keep our best players fit for these matches,” he finished with.

Dimitri Petratos on new teammates, Habas & more

Mohun Bagan SG striker Dimitri Petratos, who is expected to start, also gave his thoughts on the derby. He spoke on playing with the new signings, his potential position for the campaign, and how Antonio Habas’ arrival has helped the Mariners.

Petratos said: “The club has brought in a lot of players and we’re all looking forward to playing with each other on the field, combine and get the win.”

“You have to know many different positions as a footballer, and it’s for the coach to decide what is best for myself and the team in any game. As long as I’m on the pitch, I’m happy and I’ll always do my best for the team and the coach.”

“It’s always good to have an extra mind and he’s a very experienced person in football. The coach and Habas have a good understanding of football. Two minds is better than one, combine it together and hopefully it brings a lot of success,” he ended with.

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