Antonio Habas: Won't change our style of football for every opponent

The Kolkata-based club will have their eyes set on winning their fourth consecutive game.

ATK are set to visit newcomers Odisha FC in what will be their third away game of the season and head coach Antonio Habas addressed the media ahead of the match on Sunday. Returning to action following the international break, the side currently sit top of the table with nine points. Antonio Habas began his press conference by regretfully revealing that Indian midfielder Pronay Halder, who has featured in each of ATK's four games so far, is ruled out for their upcoming game against Odisha FC. On Challenges Of Bouncing Back From International Break Speaking about the challenges of returning to action following an international break, the Spaniard admitted that they went into the break on a high, having found their spot on the league summit, but revealed that the side did not take their foot off the pedal, with their eyes set on their clash against Josep Gombau's Odisha FC. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] "The international break is same for all teams. It is better for us as we went to the break being on top of the table. But we kept on thinking about the next match. It is important to keep winning," he said. On Philosophy And Respecting The Opponent While Sunday's match gives ATK the opportunity to extend their winning streak and retain their spot at the top of the table, Habas has talked up the importance of respecting the opponent, which he explains is a key philosophy of his side. The 62-year-old also made it clear that his team will not change their tactics according to the opponent and instead will stick to their way of playing football. "We have a style of football. We are not going to change that for every other opponent. Our philosophy is you respect the opponent and play the 90 minutes," he explained. "We always focus on the next three points. You can't win every match. In fact, we focus from match to match. We have to run and not jump," Antonio Habas stated. Agustin Iniguez On Threats Posed By Odisha FC ATK centre-back Agus Iniguez, who has helped the side keep two clean sheets so far, backed Habas' statement about respecting their opponents and went on to lay down the threats posed by Odisha FC. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] "Odisha is dangerous because they have a style. From last year they are working together with the same coach. Aridane (Santana) is very dangerous inside the box and we have to be aware of him," the Spaniard remarked. On The Talent Of Indian Players Having arrived in India for his first spell in the country, Agus is impressed with the talent that the Indian players possess and is confident that the Blue Tigers will have a solid national team soon. "We have good Indian players. They are giving their best in training and matches. We have played against academy teams as well and they have great talent as well. I think in future, India is going to have a great national team," Agus concluded.