The AFC Cup will start with an all Indian clash as ISL stalwarts ATK Mohun Bagan face recent I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC at the Salt Lake Stadium. Head coach Juan Ferrando is pretty much ready for the opening battle as he wants his players to be totally wary regarding the two time I-League champions and the only club in the history of Indian football to defend the I-League. They recently finished their season with a win against Mohammedan and are more in flow than the Mariners.
Ahead of the opening match, the Spanish tactician sharted how Gokulam are very dangerous team while on the attack. He shared how they are very compact and know the areas to target while on attack. He said, “For me, this team is clear when it comes to attacking. They know what space is there, they know what is the moment to attack in the free space. The team is compact, also in moments of attack, they’ve got four-five key points very clear. After watching a lot of their league games, I like this team because in this case, their plan is 100% effective as a team.”
Ferrando then shared how playing at home in front of the home crowd will be an advantage for them over the other teams. But he also added that his team has a lot of respect for the other three teams.
“Of course, to play at home is, obviously, amazing because the supporters are close to the team and this is an advantage, yes surely. But don’t forget, at the end, on the pitch we play eleven against eleven and we have a lot of respect for the three teams because the three opponents are the champions, in case of Gokulam, they are the league champions; in case of Bashundhara, they are Bangladesh Premier League champions; in case of Maziya, they are Maldivian League champions,” Ferrando elaborated his respect for the other teams.
Lastly, Ferrando shared that squad rotation will be of prime importance as there will be three games in the space of six days. So recovery and fitness will be tested for the ATK Mohun Bagan players since they are not in their regular season.
“It’s very important because, at the end, all four teams have the same problem. We have a game, recovery period, and one training game. And it’s very important that the players have a good recovery immediately afterwards the match. From a staff perspective, we also need to know who is in the best performance for the next match,” the 41-year-old concluded.
