It will be a tough match: Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando

Mohun Bagan are the only side in ISL this season to win all the matches so far

Mohun Bagan Super Giant return to action in the Indian Super League (ISL) after a lengthy gap when they travel to face Jamshedpur FC on Wednesday, November 1.

Playing a game after nearly three weeks, Juan Ferrando will look to ensure that his side pick up from where they left off in the win over Chennaiyin FC and continue their upwards climb to the top of the table.

Ferrando on Jamshedpur FC clash

When asked ahead of the Jamshedpur trip if he’s worried that the lengthy break might’ve affected his side’s momentum, Ferrando said: “No obviously no. The break was good for the players and for us as it gives us time to prepare for the match. For us it’s important to focus on the match and do well. I’m not thinking about this lengthy break being a problem. The players of course also enjoyed with the national team and we worked with others. We are thinking about the Jamshedpur game and also the next AFC Cup math is very important for us.”

Giving his thoughts on the Men of Steel, he stated: “I think it’s necessary to control two details (against Jamshedpur). If you forget about last season, they are very clear in their attacking and defensive styles. They are former ISL champions, and they create a lot of chances. They work in the build-up, they fight for the second ball and for me it’ll be a tough match because in defense they are very aggressive and a very compact team.

“They play a certain way where it’s difficult to beat them. They are very compact, so we need to be ready and smart in controlling spaces as well as finding the right moments to attack the spaces. We need to do a better job in the next match than we did against Bashundhara,” he added.

Anwar Ali situation

The Spaniard was unable to give an update on when Anwar Ali will be back from injury, but is confident of the options to replace him. He said: “It’s difficult to tell for how long he’ll be out for. He’s had an inflammation in his leg, we’ll do scans and decide on the injury and its recovery process. We can’t say if he’s out for a month or two. We need time to check his knock step by step.

“When it comes to his replacement, I’m not afraid of not having him. We have Deepak Tangri and Sumit Rathi, two Indian centre-backs, who can replace him. I’m not afraid of this situation, everyone is ready and knows that we have 9-10 months of competition ahead. The opportunity will come for everyone. We are disappointed with Anwar and Ashique’s injuries, but at the same moment, I know that others will be ready to step up and help the team,” he added.

International breaks disrupting Mariners’ plans?

The Mariners’ coach was asked about his thoughts on the two international breaks in October and November and explained: “I don’t like this. But for me this is not in my hands, so I won’t lose energy on it. If it was possible to change and then for me to deicde when to have these breaks and when not, it would’ve been easy. But I can’t put my energy into that. The international matches are decided by FIAF, the ISL and AFC Cup are also done by the organizers. We accept the schedule. What I’m here to do is take time to prepare my team for the games.

“We are professionals. There are no issues with the motivational aspects. More or less, there could be problem in consistency as you know that a break is coming in and you have to stray away from the normal routine, which makes it a little bit difficult. But we are professionals and my contract obliges me to work 11 months, so I’m motivated every day. But my players and me love to be on the field working and training. We accept this reality, it’s important not to be negative about the international window situation so we accept it,” he added.

What needs to improve from Bashundhara Kings clash?

Finally, when questioned on what issues from the Bashundhara Kings draw that he aims to fix going forward, Ferrando said: “At the end of that game, we had good moments but problems in the transitions. We need to continue working on finding solutions to our issues. We need to improve as a team, as we have 7-8 more months of competition so we must work in the same way. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.

“But the present is the most important for me, which is the Jamshedpur match and we’ll try to get the three points in that and then prepare for the next match. The AFC Cup matches are very difficult as we face very good teams at the international level. But all the results in ISL are very close apart from one or two games, most matches are won 1-0, 2-1 or are draws. So we have to prepare strongly and be aware of the details against Jamshedpur,” he finished with.