Road to ISL playoffs: Edu Garcia comes in late; 5 things ATK got wrong this season

#2 Playing for draws in the crucial junctures of the league

Northeast United FC was coming on the back of two draws but ATK couldn't pull off a victory against them. In the next game, FC Goa thrashed the Highlanders 5-1.

ATK thought of taking out a leaf from their 2016 season where they progressed to the playoffs via drawing matches. They had lost only twice in the campaign and shared the spoils a staggering eight times.

However, they failed to read in between the lines and played for draws carelessly in the crucial junctures of the league. The 2016 team had victories over second-placed Kerala Blasters and third-placed Delhi Dynamos under their belt whereas this season's squad doesn't have a single win over a team in the top four.

They played for a draw against the stronger sides and barring some cases, they succumbed to the pressure and lost. Knowing that they would require victories in the later stages of the game, they exposed their weakness while attacking and, FC Goa and Mumbai City FC punished them with back-to-back losses.

Had they converted a draw or two into victory in their previous encounters, the circumstances wouldn't have forced them to play for a win in the later stages. And, their weakness could have been hidden.