Juan Ferrando believes in 'impossible', Manolo Marquez eyes maiden final

The Nizams won the first leg of the playoffs by a 3-1 margin.

ATK Mohun Bagan would most likely chase the improbable when they take on Hyderabad FC in the second leg of the Indian Super League 2021-22 playoff on Wednesday. Juan Ferrando are 3-1 down and need to score at least twice without reply to take the game to extra-time. Anything less than that will send Manolo Marquez's side to their first-ever ISL final. The Mariners were in a similar position against Jamshedpur FC in their last league stage match, when they needed a 2-0 win to clinch the League Winners' Shield. But, they suffered a 0-1 defeat to eventually finish third.

ATKMB coach Ferrando remembers the feeling quite well. but he also believes in making the impossible possible. Ahead of the crucial clash both coaches, Juan Ferrando and Manolo Marquez shared their thoughts at the pre-match press conference.

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ATK Mohun Bagan Head Coach Juan Ferrando

Possible to score three goals and win next match?

Juan Ferrando: The prospect of ‘impossible’ in football just doesn’t exist. Everything is possible. Of course, it’s not so easy, let’s be realistic about that. But, it’s not impossible.

Facing similar circumstances

Juan Ferrando: I have had these moments before, it’s not been so easy. But, it’s necessary to prepare one plan and it’s necessary to execute it. The most important thing is mentality. The last month for us has been very difficult because of COVID, no proper training and hard quarantine. It’s another problem for us, but I think it’s necessary to focus, be professional and think we can do it.

Areas to improve after first leg

Juan Ferrando: We need to improve in a lot of areas, but for me, the most important is the mentality. When your team is up by 1-0, it’s necessary to go for 2-0. When you are up 2-0, it’s necessary to go 3-0. Never be satisfied with 1-0 and drop your performances and we’ll see. I think this mentality is necessary to change things at ATK Mohun Bagan.

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Problems defending set-pieces

Juan Ferrando: I repeat it all the time. When you have some mistakes about focus, the reason is because they’re very tired. Now is not the time to blame anyone that ‘this is your fault!’ For me, the life of the players now here is like in a zoo. Stay all the time in a room, take one bath, go to the pitch, play and then come back. It’s a difficult life for the players and in the end, the relation in life has an impact with the relation on the pitch.

Injury updates of David Williams, Tiri & Hugo Boumous?

Juan Ferrando: It’s very difficult. To be honest, it’s not just about David, Tiri or Hugo, it’s for a lot of players. For example, Roy, after a month of recovery, now he is playing 90 minutes but he’s not ready to play 90 minutes. It’s the same with Carl (McHugh), with Manvir (Singh) after a knock on his knee.

It’s difficult, we’ll see until the last moment. But, to be honest, with some injuries – because of the areas of the injuries – it’s difficult to fast-track the recovery process.

Hyderabad FC Head Coach Manolo Marquez

The key takeaway from the first leg

Manolo Marquez: I think that was a very hard game. They played better than us in the first half, especially the first thirty minutes. In the second half, we started well, we scored two consecutive goals and it’s true that it was difficult to attack ATKMB by the end of the match because every player that entered the pitch improved their team. A two-goal advantage is very good. It will be difficult but we will have our options to qualify. 

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Areas to improve

Manolo Marquez: In the first half, we needed to be brave. We cannot go out maybe because it was the first time in history, against players with experience. We have very young players on the pitch, and maybe this is one area we can improve. It is true that they had a lot of attacks, but they were dangerous because they have good players that can individually decide a game. We have to try to score and play a normal game, win the game. If we enter the pitch only to defend, it will be very difficult.

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The halftime team talk in the first leg

Manolo Marquez: We have to be brave. We arrived at the semi-final, and if you are scared, maybe it is time to change the sport, play an individual sport. You cannot be scared, you can draw and you can lose, but you have to play and sometimes you will miss a chance or a pass but if you won’t try…our mentality was very good in the second half and we were scared in the first minutes (of the match).

A psychological battle

Manolo Marquez: It is the same situation with Juan Ferrando as against Jamshedpur FC, they need to win by two goals. They have to start the game strong. Let’s see what happens. In some moments, it will be more psychological and the team that will manage these kinds of situations will qualify for the finals. If they win and they qualify, I will be the first to congratulate them. Our physical condition in the last few minutes, we have to manage the situation and it will be better for us if we avoid the last few minutes situation like the last match.

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