Antonio Habas: Javi Hernandez could've changed the game to our side

The Spaniard spoke after his side's frustrating draw against Hyderabad FC.

ATK Mohun Bagan once again had a hard day at office with a 1-1 draw against Hyderabad FC as they failed to hold on to a second half lead. Manvir Singh’s goal was evened out by Joao Victor’s penalty just past the hour mark. Following the game, the Mariners’ head coach Antonio Habas spoke in the post-match press conference.

The Spaniard seemed a bit downbeat about the narrow loss of points, as he said, “I think we played offensively better in the other matches this season. We lost the match with a stupid move conceding the penalty.”

Hurdle of Injuries

Habas pointed to the setbacks he has been dealing with for the past week. While explaining Tiri’s absence the Spaniard said, “He has a bit of a problem with his injury and we are trying to protect him.” He further added, “We are dealing with a lot of injuries in our campaign. As you know, it’s important to save our foreign players. We have to let our players recover to continue our run in the league.”

ATKMB – The Dominant Side

Though ATKMB got into a scrappy affair, Antonio Habas did not agree with the notion. He justified, “In only one situation Hyderabad were able to keep a shot on target and the other one was saved by our keeper. So, I think we did well in the defence.” Rather, the Spaniard rued Javi Hernandez’s absence in the match. “Yes, we lacked him a lot in the midfield and he could have changed the game better to our side,” he conceded.

https://youtu.be/_j3wlg0bivM

Lack of Communication

The 63-year-old believes the tight schedule has been a reason behind the Mariners’ inconsistency. He mentioned, “We need a bit of time to overcome the current situation. The communication between the defence and attack needs to be better.” Though the day was hard, Habas has already started his plans for the next game. “We know Goa is a good team, but we are confident to improve and you may see us winning the next game.”

Krishna - Manvir duo one for future

Manvir Singh had a great run in the match, as he scored the only goal for the Green and Maroons. He gelled well with strike partner Roy Krishna and Antonio Habas seemed quite happy with it, “I am happy with their combination and hope they will do better in the upcoming matches.”

Lack of Winning Momentum

ATK Mohun Bagan have lost four points in their last two games. But, the coach seemed unworried, as he believes his team are adapting well to the odds and are on the right track. The tactician said, “I don’t think it’s unfair. We deserved the win by creating more chances. Unfortunately, we conceded the penalty and let the game go away.” Asked about losing top spot to Mumbai City FC, he sounded confident. “At this stage, we have the same points we had last season. Mumbai is also losing matches and I think it’s a long way in this league to make a statement,” Antonio Habas signed off.