Want to implement my style of football at ATKMB, says Juan Ferrando

The Spaniard swapped FC Goa for the Mariners earlier this week.

ATK Mohun Bagan returned to winning ways in their first game under new head coach Juan Ferrando in the Indian Super League (ISL). The Mariners beat NorthEast United 3-2 on Tuesday. Hugo Boumous’ brace and a strike from Liston Colaco were enough to bring them back into the top four race.

In what was his first post-match press conference as ATKMB boss, Ferrando spoke about what he told the players before his first game in-charge. He said, ”I was talking about the tactical aspect, about where the spaces were, who can use those spaces well and I was talking about the details because I had no time to work with the team.”

When asked about how he implemented a considerable tactical change in the Mariners’ system, the Spaniard explained, “This, for me, was a more psychological game than a tactical one. It’s normal that they’ve changed a coach, but it was more tactical – like to high press and maintain better positions in attack. Sometimes, it’s necessary to talk with the players about where I’d like a winger and in other areas. I hope they improve day-by-day. Hopefully, they like my style and they improve as a team in this methodology.”

Juan Ferrando sang praises of his team for their gritty performance, saying, “I think the most important is that they showed a great spirit to work together as a team. The second, in my opinion, there are a lot of tactical details. This is in the future, day-by-day we’ll see what happens with the players. You know it’s difficult to work on new stuff because all the time we have to prepare for games. It’s one game per week and it’s difficult on tactical decisions because of that.”

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In his first game, Ferrando made only one change to the ATK Mohun Bagan team from the last game. But was a prominent one, as star summer signing Joni Kauko was surprisingly benched for Carl McHugh. When asked about how he’ll shuffle around his squad going forward, Ferrando said, “The thing is, to be honest, when thinking about the starting lineup, I was thinking more or less about my idea about football. Then I decided the lineup.

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“Of course, it’s a new chapter for me and the players tomorrow. The players start a new era. We’ll see what happens, depending on different plans and there are many details to work on. For me, when it comes to lineups and substitutions, at this moment, we have 27 players in the squad,” he added.

The Spaniard was asked about how he’s taking in the transition from managing one ISL giant to another. Juan Ferrando answered, “I think this club has a very good atmosphere. There are a lot of supporters. For me, it’s a great job to work in this moment because they have a lot of ambition. It’s because of a lot of things why I’m happy to be in this club,” he finished with.

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