This victory is for the supporters, says Antonio Habas

The Spaniard was delighted after his side picked up a crucial win on the trot.

ATK Mohun Bagan emerged victorious by a 3-1 scoreline in a much-anticipated Kolkata Derby against SC East Bengal on Friday. Roy Krishna, David Williams and Javi Hernandez all got onto the scoresheet as the Mariners established a five-point gap at the top of the Indian Super League table. Head coach Antonio Habas was delighted after the result and addressed the media.

No extra motivation needed?

The Mariners would not have required any extra motivation before the Derby keeping in mind the importance of the game. Perhaps, their position in the league, too, would have inspired them to give it all on their pitch. Antonio Habas agreed to the same saying, "We played a normal match and got the three points. It was all about keeping calm."

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Secret behind flurry of goals

During the mid-season, there was a patch of games where ATK Mohun Bagan weren't scoring as many goals as expected. However, the past few games tell a different story. The team has produced some rather high-scoring games and look lethal in front of the goal. Speaking about the secret behind it, Antonio Habas revealed, "We played 3-4-3 today, but we almost scored four goals. Our fundamental principles behind the game were the same. We change the system according to the game – whether it is high press, middle press or low press."

"Depending upon the match, we can change the positions."

Thoughts on the team's approach

Before the game, the Spaniard had stated that it doesn't matter if it's a Derby or a normal game. The expectations from the players would be the same as that of any other game. When asked whether those expectations were fulfilled, the coach was quick to heap praise.

He said, "Maybe, we had some problems in the 10 minutes towards the latter part of the second half. But otherwise, the team was perfect in the second half. Fantastic defending and counter-attacking."

Roy Krishna's brilliance

Fijian forward Roy Krishna has been in absolute red-hot form for the Mariners. The 33-year-old is currently the top scorer in the league with 14 goals and was again the difference-maker during the Kolkata Derby. Speaking about his contribution, Antonio Habas quoted, "The player now has a lot of confidence."

"It is very important for the team as we are ascending in the league. We have to use this situation and more to it everyday."

But, on the other hand, he was quick to deny allegations that ATK Mohun Bagan are overly dependent on Krishna to score goals. He asserted, "No. Today we showed that even Williams can score and so can Javi."

Is winning the only way forward?

Indeed, a convincing win over arch-rivals would be a big result and on top of that, staying on the summit of the league is a cherry on top. Antonio Habas congratulated the supporters after the important win. "This victory is for them. We are here alone, but we do have the support. The situation due to COVID-19 is different, but the team is giving their 100% on the pitch for the fans," he said while touching the club's crest on his chest with pride.

Thoughts on SC East Bengal's improvement

In the first leg of the Kolkata Derby back in November, SC East Bengal came more or less unprepared in the game. The 2-0 result in favour of the Mariners was rather an expected result. However, the Red and Gold have improved vastly on their performances over time. During the second leg too, they looked like a much better side than the one that played in their first game of the season.

Commenting on the same, Antonio Habas said, "I don't want to talk about the opponent. But yes, I think there is improvement (in SCEB) as compared to the first leg that we played against them."