No special plans to stop Roy Krishna, says Antonio Habas before Odisha FC clash

Mohun Bagan boss Antonio Habas revealed instilling a champion mentality among the players.

Mohun Bagan will aim to take control of the 2023/24 Indian Super League (ISL) Shield title race by defeating Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Saturday. The Mariners can go top of the ISL table with a win and continue their dream run under Antonio Habas.

Habas wary of Odisha FC threat

Antonio Habas is respectful of Odisha FC’s qualities and is wary of the challenge they pose. He said: “Odisha are a good team with good players and a good coach. Our target is to go to Odisha to win the match, that’s our idea. But with all respect to the opponent, because they have been having a good season.”

Thoughts on Roy Krishna and Odisha missing Ahmed Jahouh

Mohun Bagan also face off against an in-form Roy Krishna, who played under the Spaniard in the past. When asked if he has any particular plan to keep him quiet, the mentor said: “I would have a plan if I had him playing here. Roy is a fantastic player, I loved working with him and now he’s my opponent. But that’s football. No special plans to stop him. We have to respect the ideas of the opponent team, they are an important opposition and we don’t have any special plans for individuals. Roy and the entire Odisha team will be in good condition.”

With Ahmed Jahouh suspended for the match, Habas doesn’t believe that will make the Juggernauts any less challenging. He stated: “I don’t like to talk about the opponent’s players. The idea is about the entire team than any individuals. They have a very good trajectory in their central midfield. The competition is like this, one day you can play key players and another day you might not be able to do so because of certain issues. The team that wins the league is the one with more regularity because it’s important to have different alternatives during competitions.”

Worries about being able to cope with Odisha’s frontline?

When asked if he has any worries about how his side will cope against Odisha’s dangerous attacking line after conceding two goals in the last game, Habas explained: “I don’t have any problems because we conceded two goals and scored four in the last match. The problem would arise if the opponent scored two and my team scored zero. This is football. Odisha have important players, and we know how strong they are. We have to be competitive and then have the possibility of winning.”

Thoughts on having to play an early kick-off game and pressure to get top spot

The Mohun Bagan coach is not that flustered about having to play a 5 PM kick off game against the league leaders. He mentioned: “The competition is waiting. We’ll have to play against Odisha on Saturday at a 5 PM kick-off, but there are no excuses. We cannot choose another problem, we need to focus on our problems and our targets.”

Finally, when questioned if his players are under added pressure to get a win as it can help them move to the top of the table, Antonio Habas claimed: “In all competitions, the idea is to be first. I don’t understand how we can compete for second, third or fourth. I spoke to my players in recent training sessions and I never told them that ‘boys I want to finish third’. That’s impossible.

“Players have to get the mentality to be first. That is the direction to head. It’s possible to get there and we have to fight every day for this target,” he finished with.

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