Chennaiyin FC will be aggressive at home, claims Juan Ferrando

Juan Ferrando indicated on how Mohun Bagan plan to use this 16-day gap before the next clash.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant look to maintain their 100% win record in the Indian Super League (ISL) when they travel to face Chennaiyin FC on Saturday (October 7). This will be their first away game of the new campaign and one they’ll aim to win decisively over a struggling Chennaiyin side to maintain their spot at the top of the table.

Juan Ferrando unfazed by MBSG’s amazing form

Despite his side’s impressive form in recent months, Juan Ferrando is not taking the match lightly. He said: “The most important thing is that we’re all thinking in the present and know that the other matches are in the past. We need to be in our best state for Saturday's match and be ready for it. It’s not only about physical condition but also for the players to be mentally ready and free from stress in the game.”

Thoughts on first away game against Chennaiyin

Ferrando is also expecting a tough challenge in his side’s first away game of the ISL campaign, as he stated: “If we look at the current scenafio in the league, teams playing at home are winning their matches but teams playing away are finding it difficult to find points. This is our first away match and we expect Chennaiyin to be very aggressive as it's their first home game. We must control a lot of details on Saturday because we’re coming off an AFC Cup game. They are playing at home, so they will be very aggressive.”

Pleased with gap after Chennaiyin clash?

When asked if he’s pleased with the 16-day gap that the Mariners will get after the Chennaiyin FC game due to the international break, the Spaniard explained: “It’s good when you have more time to train and work with the players. It’s easier to grow as a unit with that. I think it’s important for us to improve in some details, try to follow the plan and continue in the same way.

“After Chennaiyin, I want to work with the team but a lot of players will join the national team so we’ll have the same problem. 6-7 players will join the team, so it’s difficult to help the team improve as a whole because all the players are in different places. Maybe in this case we can try to hold training or games between the senior team and junior team. We’re not happy, but the FIFA window must be respected,” he added.

Upon being asked if this will be a particularly tough game for his side due to it being away from home, the mentor said: “Every match is difficult for a lot of reasons. Sometimes we change the details and improve, sometimes it’s necessary to change the plan. It depends on the opponent. When you have one plan and it’s necessary to change it, we do it. When we play at home, we push the opponent back because we try to win. We want to do the same, score goals against Chennaiyin as well. To win the match, it’s necessary to push the opponent backwards towards their own goal.”

On AFC Cup home game being moved

Finally, Juan Ferrando shared his thoughts on his side’s upcoming AFC Cup game against Bashundhara Kings likely being moved to Bhubaneswar. He said: “Obviously playing away is a disadvantage for us. For us, it’s advantageous to play at home in front of our crowd. I know supporters come out in big numbers to help the team, but I also know that for some supporters it's difficult to travel to Bhubaneswar for the game. In this case, it’s not good for us – but it’s not possible to change that,” he finished off with.