Players, coaches tired of current situation, says Juan Ferrando

ATK Mohun Bagan will play their second game in three days and third this week.

Juan Ferrando-led ATK Mohun Bagan are among the favourites to finish in the top four. With six games in hand and a nine-match unbeaten run, ATKMB could well top the league and clinch the league shield, having fallen agonizingly short last season. They face FC Goa in the next game on Tuesday. The Gaurs are coming after a dominating win over Chennaiyin FC. A win will take the Mariners level on points with table toppers Hyderabad FC with a game in hand. It's a perfect opportunity to take a shot at their aspirations of winning the league shield.

Ahead of the match against FC Goa, ATKMB coach Juan Ferrando spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the upcoming clash against his former side, the unbeaten run and more.

Injury updates for ATKMB squad?

Juan Ferrando: At this moment, we are waiting until the last moment for them. We have no more time to prepare for games because we have one in every 2-3 days. It’s necessary to wait until the last moment. Everyone is improving in terms of fitness at this moment and I’m very happy because in this difficult situation, they are better.

Performance of squad players

Juan Ferrando: In the end, I explain that we have one squad and I prepare for everyone in the squad to be ready. I don’t think about who is 20 or 19-year-old. I only think about everybody and everyone is ready to help the team. At times, some details are important, but I’m happy because they want to learn, they want to play football. In the end, it’s not necessary to think about a player’s age, but more about the mentality or his performance.

Thoughts on  FC Goa

Juan Ferrando: The performance of FC Goa is very good at the moment. They have a good squad, good players and in the last game their performance was top-class. It’s normal that they have a chance to be in the playoffs. I think they’re in a good moment, they are positive and happy. It’s necessary to put focus on football, in our team and try to get three points.

Tight Schedule

Juan Ferrando: It’s difficult because there is a risk of injury, there is a process of preparing the team for certain games. It’s difficult because you might have to change some details and it’s very difficult to change all the plans and prepare for totally different plans. In the end, the players’ mentality is also impacted. Because when you play one game, you need at least 2-3 days of recovery for the next one. It’s difficult to do that. 

The problem is because one day they’re playing 90 minutes, they could lose focus, might make tactical errors because they’re not fresh. It’s very difficult, but this is our situation and unless there is another option, the only thing for us is to be strong, work on problems and help players improve.

Liston Colaco’s future

Juan Ferrando: I think at this moment, we’re thinking of helping him improve even more. Sometimes, in moments of success, players can get entangled in it. But, I think we need to think about how he can improve. This is our target as a coaching staff or as a club. He knows he needs to improve because his performances are improving every game.

Advantage to have two games in-hand?

Juan Ferrando: I don’t see any advantage right now. I say that the real advantage is when you have 4-5 days to prepare the team for games. But, at this moment, no. In my point of view, all the teams are at the same level. All the players are tired, the coaching staff is tired and everybody is fighting among themselves because people are very tired about the situation. In the end, it’s important to help the team and get good feedback and get three points.

Contenders for ISL title?

Juan Ferrando: In my opinion, Hyderabad FC, Mumbai City FC, Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters are four teams who are strong contenders for the title. I think Bengaluru FC are also contenders, okay they have played 16 games at this moment, but we’ll see.

Converting Chances

Juan Ferrando: I’m not thinking or am not so scared about this. For me, the problem will be if we can’t create chances. If we can’t create chances or if we have only one, there could be an issue. We need to improve our focus. In the end, it’s the small issues really – be it timing of the shots, check the position of the keeper. There are some details, which we can improve in training. But it’s not possible to improve these details because we have no proper training sessions anymore. At this moment, more or less in the last 4-5 games, we have game 6-7 shots on target – which is really good. But, we need to improve, to ensure we have six goals from 6-7 shots on target.

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