ATK Mohun Bagan, in their penultimate Indian Super League game, will square off against a struggling Chennaiyin FC side on Thursday. Head coach Juan Ferrando's men are coming into the game on the back of a clinical 2-0 victory against Bengaluru FC in their last outing
Ahead of the clash against the Marina Machans, the Spanish gaffer addressed the media. The head coach said:
"With Chennaiyin FC, we know the midfielders are very strong. (Anirudh) Thapa and (Vladimir) Koman are very strong players in particular moments of the game. Everybody knows about (Neriju) Valskis. Maybe this season for Valskis has not been the best but he's a dangerous player inside the box and even outside it. Now in the last three games, he's closer to the box."
Chennaiyin are currently eighth in the ISL points table, with 20 points from 19 games. ATK Mohun Bagan will see the game as the perfect opportunity to bag the three points and challenge Jamshedpur FC for the top spot.
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"Liston Colaco needs to continue improving" - ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando
With the business end of the ISL season in full flow, ATK Mohun Bagan are peaking at the perfect time. Manvir Singh has recovered his goalscoring acumen while Sandesh Jhingan has fitted in perfectly with the Mariners backline.
However, Juan Ferrando opined that Jhingan has a lot of room for improvement given his quality but added the progress the player has been showing is promising. The gaffer said:
"I am happy with Sandesh's performance, but I know he can improve a lot. My point of view is that Sandesh's level is now at 60%. But in the future, he will be much, much better with the quality he has. 100% sure. He wants to work and wants to improve. This is the most important thing."
Meanwhile, Liston Colaco has been the side's breakthrough star this season. He has bagged eight goals already and looks far from finished. The head coach lauded Colaco's performances but demanded a lot more precision in the final third. He said:
"Liston needs to continue improving some details because sometimes his teammates decide to control some spaces. But this is normal. This is our job and I hope with more training sessions he can keep improving."