The Indian players have to show their quality- Antonio Habas

The Kolkata outfit have turned to the tried and tested in the quest for a return the top escutcheons of the league.

Ahead of the upcoming Indian Super League season, Kolkata-based outfit, ATK organized a press conference where head coach Antonio Habas was present, along with star player Roy Krishna and Indian assistant coach Sanjoy Sen.

The Spanish tactician along with his subordinates had an interactive session with the media personnel speaking about his plans for the upcoming season.

At the start, Antonio Habas spoke about his plans for the upcoming campaign considering that he is familiar with the city and the team.  "I am enjoying the city and the team because we have a lot of work. But, I am very happy to get back here and it is very exciting for me."

Despite less preparation time and with the league starting in a few weeks Habas believes that his team will cope up with the conditions.

"The players are now improving every day. They also need rest and these last few days are important. They need to acclimatize with the climate and also with the city."

The Spanish tactician was asked about his opinion on AIFF handing the AFC Champions League Qualifiers spot to the league leaders and not to the eventual winners.  On this he explained, "For me, it is the same, we have to win everyday. I have to look one match at a time and my mission is to prepare my team every day to win."

[KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Last season, ATK struggled to score goals consistently and hence were far off from qualifying for the playoffs. Taking up this context Antonio Habas was asked how important were his Indian attackers like Jayesh Rane, Komal Thatal and so on in the grander scheme of things.

"I think the Indian players are very good and they have to demonstrate their quality in the competition. The Indian players have a great opportunity to play with foreign players. I want my players to communicate with each other and blend. Last time there was no difference between Josemi and Arnab Mondal, they spent time together and improved their play, that is what I want from my Indian players. I don't want to distinguish between my foreign players and Indian players. It is a team game and all of them need to step up when required."

The Spanish tactician was asked to compare his ISL-winning ATK side of 2014 to this current squad to which Habas added, "Evidently for me, the competition has improved with better coaches and increase in quality, as there is more tactical battle in the competition. As per the team comparison goes it is very different, I cannot compare that way."

"I want aggressive football, but that is in a positive sense. It is not getting yellow cards, red cards. I want my players to be the protagonist in attack and defense and maintain a proper balance between both," he clarified about the sense of aggression he wants in his style of play.

ATK forward, Roy Krishna who has been in Kolkata for sometime now, has had a taste of the culture and heritage of the city. The Fiji national team captain said, "It is great to be back here after so many years. I like the city and the people and having someone like David (Williams) makes things easier in a new place to adapt."

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="RELATED NEWS | ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

When asked whether it was a personal decision or a footballing call to return to his roots and join ATK, Krishna said, "It was a bit of both. As a player you want to go to a club that value you more. ATK came at a time in my career where  I felt it was a call from my roots."

Director of youth development and Indian assistant coach, Sanjoy Sen assured that the players won't face any problem in transforming from Steve Coppell's pragmatic style of play to Habas's possession-based football. He also stated that ATK reserve team players  Anil Chawan, Brandon Green and Sumeet Rathi will be called up to train with the first-team.

This season the Red and Whites have some big names in attack and some fans are even touting them as the team with the best attack in the league. When Habas was asked whether his side have the best attack or not, he added, "I don't think that way. For me, we are a team and we need to win like a team. The concept of attack and defence is a collective effort. It is a collective thing when all the players have the mentality to attack and defend. Say for example Roy (Krishna) needs to score goals, but he also needs to come back and defend."

Lastly, Antonio Habas was asked whether he had interacted with the other Spanish coaches in the city to which he said, "No, I did not have the time to interact with them. But, I know Alejandro (Menendez). We have worked together at Celta Vigo. Currently, I am focused for the upcoming season with ATK."