Three things ATK Mohun Bagan must do to defeat Mumbai City in ISL final

The Islanders have already lifted the League Winners' Shield and are now looking forward to their first-ever Indian Super League final.

ATK Mohun Bagan have secured a place in the Indian Super League (ISL) final at the first time of asking, but face familiar foes in Sergio Lobera’s high-flying Mumbai City side in the definitive battle of giants on Saturday. While Antonio Habas is undefeated in ISL finals in his decorated career, he still hasn’t been able to outwit Sergio Lobera in the league this season.

Indeed, the Mumbai City coach seems to have his fellow Spaniard’s number in terms of tactics and has dealt him defeats on both occasions these two sides have met so far. For the Mariners, they’ll want to make this a case of ‘third time lucky’ and learn from their past defeats to ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated in the final. But, what exactly can be done to stop the Islanders’ juggernaut?

3. Play your best cards

The good thing for the Mariners is that they have a near fully fit squad for the final and won’t miss any of their key players. Antonio Habas has ditched his three-man defence for a more attack-minded formation in recent games and he needs to stick to that. Starting with a three-man backline against the Islanders in the two league games only caused them problems.

Habas must play his best attacking stars, which includes the incredible trio of Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh and David Williams! The decision to pick the other attacking stars among Marcelinho, Javi Herandez and Edu Garcia might be a difficult one – but all three are creative hubs who are guaranteed to create chances.

The Spaniard has a difficult decision to make among those three, but perhaps Javi will be preferred with his ability to deliver in big games (he did score in last season’s ISL final). Resting some key attacking players for a more defensive approach cost ATKMB in recent games against Mumbai, which is why they need to go with a new, more attack-minded attitude to trouble the Islanders this time around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscbg6cAK3U

2. Same approach as NorthEast United game

When it comes to an attack-minded approach, ATKMB probably won’t have to make any more changes to how they played against NorthEast United in the semi-final. The Mariners just need to start in a positive fashion, bombing forward in attack and looking to stitch together attractive moves to trouble the Islanders’ defence.

Perhaps the tie against NorthEast United (which ATK Mohun Bagan could’ve lost on another day) was too close to comfort for Antonio Habas – but that kind of style gives them a better chance of winning against Mumbai City than parking the bus and hoping for the best. They can’t let Mumbai City choke them out of the game, take the lead and then dominate possession.

The Mariners have to take the lead to win and also need an early goal. So, they need to start on the front foot and march forward in numbers, creating varied attacking chances to trouble Lobera’s side and dent their confidence as early as possible.

1. Work on set-pieces (at both ends)

While the ISL final might be taking place between two of the very best the league has to offer, like other finals, this could also be decided on set-pieces. A number of ISL finals in the past have been settled on set-piece goals – including incredible late winners as well! The interesting thing about this one is that neither ATK Mohun Bagan nor Mumbai City have a compelling case on set-pieces.

Indeed, the Mariners and Islanders have both conceded poor goals from set-pieces. ATKMB nearly lost the tie against NorthEast because of their set-piece vulnerability, as the Highlanders' goal came due to some calamity at the back. Mumbai City have also looked weak defending set-pieces, so the Mariners need to capitalize on that.

In Hernandez and Williams, they have two great set-piece takers. The likes of Sandesh Jhingan, Tiri and Pritam Kotal all need to turn up when it comes to attacking corners or free-kicks. If the Mariners can prepare their set-piece routines well, they might have huge goalscoring options from dead-ball situations.

Moreover, they also need to work on improving their set-piece defending because the likes of Mourtada Fall, Ahmed Jahouh, Hugo Boumous and Bartholomew Ogbeche are unforgiving in those situations. If ATK Mohun Bagan are able to win the set-piece battle on the night, they’ll gain an upper hand in their quest to grind their way to defeating Mumbai City when it matters the most.