Antonio Habas: Manvir Singh is a good player with big potential

The Spaniard spoke after his side eked out a late victory against Odisha FC on Thursday.

ATK Mohun Bagan continued their winning streak in the Indian Super League (ISL) with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Odisha FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Thursday. After a rather cagey game with the Mariners being frustrated by Stuart Baxter’s sturdy side, an added-time winner from Roy Krishna sealed the three points for Antonio Habas and Co.

The Spaniard was happy with another crucial win and when asked about his thoughts on the result, he said, “Maybe it wasn’t the best match for ATK Mohun Bagan. But, we only have to see the results. That is the most important thing. It’s good that we won 1-0 today to get that result.”

The Mariners did not have things easy with Odisha nullifying their counter-attacking style and when asked whether the opponents found out their predictability, Habas answered, “I don’t think that’s a good reflection. In every top competition in the world, be it the World Cup, the Copa America or any other tournament, 70% of the goals scored are in counter-attacks. But, I had to play possession football today. We had to march our players forward, but the real possession we enjoyed was in the opponent’s half, where we created some good chances.”

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David Williams was a surprising absentee from ATKMB’s matchday squad and giving an explanation for this, the coach said, “Yes, he has picked up an injury. (Michael) Soosairaj has a serious injury and now Williams also has an injury. Edu Garcia is also injured. I feel that with three important players not having played for us today, I’m very happy that we won. For the team, it’s all about winning, but we need to absolutely improve our game.”

When asked about a potential lack of creativity in his side’s attack because of those missing stars, the Spaniard explained, “Yes definitely. They are very important players for us. Brad (Inman) is a flexible player and showed today that he can also play in an advanced role. But, Edu and Williams are definitely very important players for us.”

Meanwhile, Manvir Singh got his first start of the season for ATKMB and when asked about whether this is a long-term plan he has for the AFC Cup – where his side can only field four foreigners, Antonio Habas said, “Yes possibly. For now, we are only thinking about the ISL not the AFC Cup. Manvir is a good player with big potential. He needed more minutes on the pitch to prove his worth.”

Despite leading the ISL table with three wins in as many games, Antonio Habas remains pragmatic and does not want to judge his side as title favourites just yet. He said, “I am very happy with the result. Maybe we didn’t play the best football in my life, but it’s better that we have three wins than losses. I’m definitely not thinking about the possibility of winning the title just yet. We have to improve a lot to achieve that.”

On the other hand, Roy Krishna, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-winning heroics, was delighted with the result and said, “Yes, I’m delighted to get onto the scoresheet. But, it was a tough game. I think we didn’t play well today. The credit goes to our defence to get another clean-sheet. We knew we would get chances. Just needed to get at the right place at the right moment. Lucky, I was in the right spot to get the goal.”

Also Read- Highlights: Roy Krishna scores in injury-time to help ATKMB edge Odisha FC

But, another fantastic performer for the Mariners in the gritty win was that of their defensive warrior Sandesh Jhingan, who continues his good form after returning from a long-term injury. When asked about how he keeps going games like that after such a long layoff, he said: “I just enjoy myself on the pitch. I’ve been out for 13 months. It feels awful when you are out for such a long time and I’m just happy to be back on the field. I always try to come with a smile and go out with a smile. Playing football is the best job, so that’s how I prepare myself for now.”