What changes could Mohun Bagan make under Antonio Lopez Habas?

Antonio Lopez Habas is expected to bring Mohun Bagan back to winning ways.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant raised a lot of eyebrows after sacking head coach Juan Ferrando recently following a series of poor results in the 2023-24 Indian Super League and AFC Cup. The club officials then went on to welcome former two-time Indian Super League-winning coach Antonio Lopez Habas as the interim head coach of the side.

The 66-year-old’s arrival in the coaching seat is sending a wave of nervousness and uncertainty amongst the passionate fan-base of the Mariners. It is unclear for the fans how the club will function under the Spanish tactician with the players that are at his disposal.

Some of the fans deem the move of sacking Juan Ferrando and replacing him, temporarily albeit, with Antonio Lopez Habas as a backwards and impulsive step. Having said that, there is one assurance that there will be plenty of changes under the veteran tactician who has a different philosophy than Ferrando.

Here is a look at what changes one can expect at Mohun Bagan Super Giant under the leadership of Antonio Lopez Habas.

Tactical Changes

One of the more obvious changes that fans can expect is the way Mohun Bagan will play under Antonio Lopez Habas. It is going to be quite different to how Juan Ferrando set up his team. History suggests that the Spanish tactician has a pragmatic approach to football and his tactics revolve around playing in a very certain way.

ATK and ATK Mohun Bagan did not play the most expansive attacking style of football under him but it had the habit of grinding out results nonetheless. One can expect Mohun Bagan to play with a low block and hit teams on the counter-attack. When the team has possession, a direct way Habas likes to see his team attack is by using the target man with long balls. 

Collecting points will be Antonio Lopez Habas’ first and foremost priority. Mohun Bagan may not play the most entertaining football going forward, but it shall certainly remain one of the contenders for the ISL League Winner’s Shield and the ISL Trophy.

Personnel Changes

Antonio Lopez Habas will certainly reshuffle the starting lineup and field it more to his liking. The Spaniard is likely to be unfazed by the wealth of versatile attackers available to him and will put his faith in the type of players best suited to execute his tactics. 

One can expect defensively sound players such as Glan Martins to be preferred over technically sound players such as Anirudh Thapa or Kiyan Nassiri. The midfield will possibly consist of defense-minded players such as Deepak Tangri who can provide cover to the backline and help sustain the low block to keep opposition attackers at bay.

The forward line is expected to become one-dimensional with Armando Sadiku likely to play as the target man. He is suited more to holding up the ball than someone like Jason Cummings.

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