Heavyweights ATK Mohun Bagan will look to cut a hole in their defense to avoid the notoriety of a hat-trick of losing to an unbeaten Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League match here on Saturday. After starting in style with resounding wins over Kerala Blasters FC and arch-rivals SC East Bengal, the Mariners suffered back-to-back defeats against nemesis Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC to finish top-five. Is kept.
Against quality opposition at MCFC and JFC, the green-and-maroon brigade’s defense has become very poor, leaking seven goals in two matches. Their two national defenders Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose have not lived up to expectations in the absence of injured Tiri and Sandesh Jhingan, who have left for Croatian club Sibenik.
Habas will expect star Spanish central defender Tiri to play the full 90 minutes, although it seems a far cry as he is yet to regain full fitness. Chennaiyin FC has been the most steadfast in their defense this season, scoring at least two goals from three matches. In such a scenario, Habas will consider rearranging its formation and may make some changes with Michael Sousairaj likely to be leftist.
Trying to consolidate the defence, ATK Mohun Bagan suffered losses in their attacking game, something that was seen in a 1-2 loss to the Red Minors. In such a scenario, striking the right balance would be a top priority for the Spanish gaffer.
“We have been the best team in the first two games and we have become the worst team in the first two matches. Football needs a balanced approach, we will find a perfect balance between attack and defence,” said the Mariners.
But Habas declined to spell out his strategy when asked if he was considering bringing in David Williams at the Australian centre. “We are playing one match after another and we need all our players to be ready.
ATK Mohun Bagan showed some fighting spirit in the final minutes against Jamshedpur FC as Kotal narrowed the gap in the 88th minute. “We have to start the next match with the same momentum that we showed in the last five minutes (against Jamshedpur FC). Hopefully we can do that in the next match. It’s not all over after losing two matches,” said his ace Fijian shooter Roy Krishna.
“This time we have to go back to the drawing board. The coach should work on some more strategy, to do that we have to work harder in training,” said the Fijian, explaining his intentions. “We still have a long way to go. We have enough players in our team. We have to prove it. I have full faith in the boys, hopefully they come out with full force (against Chennai).” Bozidar Bandovic-coach Marina Machans, on the other hand, have lost three matches so far this season, winning two and drawing one.
Even though they have been strong defensively, the problem has been finding the finishing touches and this was evident in their last outing in a goalless draw against struggling SC East Bengal. He had four shots on target, but none of them could be converted as Habas would try to exploit the weaknesses of his offensive attack in an attempt to make a comeback for his team.
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