Antonio Habas: Lack of supporters could be important factor for slow starts

The Spaniard spoke on the back of his side's comfortable victory over NorthEast United on Sunday.

ATK Mohun Bagan started 2021 with a bang after a compelling 2-0 win over NorthEast United at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday. A goal in the second half from Roy Krishna and an own-goal from NorthEast United defender Benjamin Lambot sealed the win to help Antonio Habas’ side go back to the top of the Indian Super League table.  

Team’s performance

The Spanish manager was happy with his team’s performance and reflecting on the game, he said, “The team today played a good match. Maybe, in the first half, the match was more balanced. But, in the second half, I think the team was much more superior to NorthEast United.”

Support of fans in stadiums missing

After a slow start to the game, the Mariners scored their goal in the second half, which has been their tale of the season so far. When asked about their reliance on second half goals potentially being a cause for concern in the future, Antonio Habas said, “Yes, because sometimes it’s very difficult to get up to pace without the support of the fans in the stadiums.”

“The players don’t have the same intensity as they do when they get energy from the fans. So, I believe the lack of supporters could be an important factor for the slow starts. But, I think the team produced some good football in the second half. I’m happy with our continuation. Sometimes, we control the first half and then create the difference later on,” he added.

Is the team over dependent on Roy Krishna?

Roy Krishna scored his sixth goal of the season, which equals to 60% of ATKMB’s total goals scored. When asked about whether his side is too dependent on the Fijian, the coach explained, “No, I don’t think so. Roy is a very important player for us, but the general idea is for every player to score goals in our team. I’m not worried for that.”

Attitude

When asked about the hard-working attitude of his players, Antonio Habas said, “I think our idea is to stick to football. I think we like to stay collective and we respect the opponent. You can win and lose games, but this is the first idea in my team. I don’t want my players to be arrogant. I need them to respect Mumbai City and respect all of our upcoming opponents.”

Roy Krishna on facing Mumbai City and goalscoring momentum

Fijian Roy Krishna is also not getting ahead of himself when it comes to the big game against the Islanders next week. When asked about that, he said, “Now, we just need to rest. I think the coach will decide whatever tactics we’ll use. It’ll be a big game for us, but we’ll have to rest for now.”

The Man of the Match was also asked about ATKMB’s tendency to get second-half goals. He explained, “I think NorthEast United as a team were very compact. We just needed to be patient. In the second half, we just needed to wait for our opportunities and we got two. Good delivery from Edu (Garcia) and today the set-piece worked.”