We will be playing a lot of games in a short time, notes Juan Ferrando

Hat-trick hero Liston Colaco also spoke briefly about his incredible performance.

ATK Mohun Bagan are back on their tracks after the defeat against Gokulam Kerala. They have successfully defeated Bashundhara Kings 4-0 to get back to the winning ways. The goals came in the form of a hat-trick from Liston Colaco and a solitary finish from David Williams.

ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando and player of the match Liston Colaco attended the press conference after the game. Here’s what they had to say.

Appreciation for the opponents

Juan Ferrando praised Bashundhara Kings for their performance in the game. The Spaniard talked about the Bangladeshi outfit's quality and gave his two cents on the impact of the rain break on his team's ability to find spaces.

“They are a good team. They have good players like Miguel Ferreira and Robson da Silva. I am happy because the supporters enjoyed the match. For us, after the rain break, the team was better on the field. In the first 10 minutes, we weren’t that good. After 2-0, the team played built up better, they found spaces. I’m so happy because, in the last two days, they had to read a lot of comments on a lot of things. It’s not so good because they are professionals. They are good as a team and also in person,” he commented.

Keeping the emotions in check was key

As aforementioned, finding spaces in dangerous positions was key for ATK Mohun Bagan's offensive play throughout the game. Juan Ferrando believes his team could do that because they were able to keep their emotions in check. He also did not fail to acknowledge the support he and his team received from the bench and the fans.

“It was a very difficult match. The success came because the team was more comfortable on the pitch and they found more spaces. In the first match, our emotions weren’t at a place in the second half. But the team today worked like a team. Everybody did their best to support the team. Also, the players who were not in the squad went into the dressing room and supported the team. It rained a lot. After the rain stopped when I checked I saw the supporters stayed to support us. That was fantastic. I was feeling that this is our moment,” the 41-year-old exclaimed.

Keep expecting heavy rotations

Juan Ferrando will rotate his team heavily for all the games. He believes he has 26 players - all of whom can contribute and so, he will keep using all of them. He sees all 26 of them as capable of leading the team if the time comes.

The tactician quipped, “We will be playing a lot of games in a short time. There are two options – good recovery and trust the other players and change some positions. I have repeatedly said that I trust all 26 players. Everybody can help the team. My job is to help them so that they can find the best moment to help the team. In the last game, we went with a certain line-up. In this match, we had another line-up. Against Maziya S&RC, we’ll field another line-up.

“The captain is Roy Krishna. But in my team, there are 26 captains. Every player be it Fardin, has a responsibility in the dressing room. In front of you, it’s Roy Krishna, but Pritam Kotal is the same. For example, we had Sandesh Jhingan who was a real leader today. Today he didn’t wear the armband but he was a captain on the pitch,” he added while speaking on the leaders.

Liston's comments on his hat-trick

Liston Colaco scored thrice to take the game away from the Bashundhara Kings. When asked to comment on his performance, the youngster remarked, “Scoring a hat-trick is not easy. You need patience. Last season, I lacked in some areas. So, during my off-season, I imporved it. Hence, I got my first hat-trick of the season. Maybe this is my first. To score the same, you have to be calm inside the box.

“I would like to dedicate this hat-trick to my teammates. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. I also want to dedicate it to my family who have been with me through the good and bad times. I also dedicate the hat-trick to God,” the 23-years-old added.

Changing the keeper

Arsh Anwer started in place of Amrinder Singh. The coach praised all the three keepers of his side. He sees the good performances of the three as a nice problem to have, especially when his team has to play so many games.

“We have four keepers. Avilash Paul is injured. They are working very hard. After the last game, we decided to change the keeper. Amrinder Singh is a fantastic keeper. But when the games are pretty close and also after what happened after the last game, it was best to change some positions. It’s not possible to prepare a plan and work after this match. Some reactions will primarily be there. It’s not that I’m disappointed with Amrinder. We prepared this plan and will continue it. I’m happy because the three keepers are continuing the good performance. It’s perfect for the coach,” Juan Ferrando mentioned.

Liston future of Indian football?

Liston Colaco has been said to be the player who will take over the responsibilities of scoring goals from Sunil Chhetri for the national team. And the 23-year-old had an impressive ISL season with ATK Mohun Bagan in terms of outputs in the final third. So, it was very obvious that Juan Ferrando would speak on Liston Colaco's future right after the talisman netted a hat-trick.

“For us, it’s very important he improves in the same line with the team. He has a lot of positive things which everyone knows. He’s working hard. For me the most important is his position to help the team. He has a lot of quality and talent. The important thing is at the end, this talent is helping the team or not? He is 23. He has a lot of time. The best time for players is when they are 26, 27 or 28. The future is in front of him. He has an amazing future. The most important is he doesn’t forget the way we are working – like in the last five or six months. My target is also to help him in his career,” Ferrando claimed.

Juan Ferrando's thoughts on Vincenzo Alberto Annese's comments

Juan Ferrando was asked to comment on the remarks of Gokulam Kerala's coach about the two leagues. The Spaniard was, however, hesitant to speak about it and wanted the players to do the talking on the pitch.

He answered, “We are in an international competition. Football is amazing because of fairplay and respect. When I read some news, I prefer not to talk. It’s good when the players are talking on the pitch today. I don’t want to lose energy like this.”

Liston Colaco's time at FC Goa

Liston Colaco didn't get to play a lot for FC Goa. The Indian international, however, had his fortunes overturned after going out on a loan at Hyderabad FC.

“When I was at FC Goa, I used to not play. I always had it in my mind, that whenever I get an opportunity, I need to prove myself. I think that kept me going. I am where I am today because of then. Hopefully, it’s working for me and I need to continue this.”, said Liston reflecting on his time with FC Goa.

Impact of Joni Kauko

When asked about Joni Kauko and his impact, Juan Ferrando stated, “For me, the most important is to not only improve the performance of the players. It’s important to improve Joni inside the team. In the end, Joni is better. But the players around him are much better. This is difficult for the coaching staff to help the entire team at the same moment. Sometimes there exist different sources of motivation. Our target is to improve everybody and help them to be ready for the next match.”

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