'It was for team's benefit...' - Antonio Habas on removing Hugo Boumous from ISL squad

Before the Hyderabad game, Mohun Bagan deregistered Hugo Boumous from the ISL squad.

Antonio Habas’ Mohun Bagan went back to winning ways in the Indian Super League (ISL) with a 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Saturday (10 February). First-half goals from Anirudh Thapa and Jason Cummings helped the Mariners put an end to a four-game winless streak in the ISL.

Habas pleased with manner of win

Antonio Habas was pleased to see his side get the win and especially after giving some youngsters their chance. He said: “We got three points in the ISL after a long time. I’m very happy that we had more chances to score goals today. The team performed really well, had a good attitude and one thing for me that wasn’t good was the lack of precision in the box towards the final minutes.

“It’s very important for us to be ready for the next match against Goa and (Joni) Kauko’s participation was very important. Dippendu (Biswas) and Abhishek (Suryavanshi) have come through the academy, performed fantastically and are good players for the future,” he added.

Return of Joni Kauko

The Spaniard also praised the performance of Joni Kauko, who returned to action after being on the sidelines for more than a year. He said: “His performance was good. We had thought of playing him for 40 minutes, but he played around 35. He didn’t play football for one year and he is fit. I trust in him, absolutely.

“I think the team needs the character of Joni Kauko. We need the player with his characteristics. He can play centre-midfield, inside-midfield and also as a play-maker. We have the possibility to play him in three or four positions, which is very important for us,” he further stated.

Why did Hugo Boumous be removed from squad?

When questioned about the decision to register Joni Kauko in place of Hugo Boumous in the ISL squad, Habas stated: “It’s a decision that was not at all simple. It was a very difficult decision. But as the head coach, I had to take that decision. It was for the benefit of the team. A long time ago, I had to take a similar decision to cut out (Manuel) Lanzarote. Now, I had to take this technical decision. We need to respect that another player like Joni Kauko is coming in, it’s my decision at the end of the day.”

Key updates before FC Goa clash

Finally, Antonio Habas indicated that Mohun Bagan should benefit from the return of multiple players against FC Goa. He said: “Anwar’s return depends on the doctors. We have the possibility to recover Asish Rai. We only have three days to that game. Brendan Hamill and Deepak Tangri are in recovery, but Armando Sadiku and Liston Colaco could come back. We can have four more players against FC Goa, which is important for the team.”

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