"I am happy, but this is not my job" - Juan Ferrando on the progress ATK Mohun Bagan made under him
ATK Mohun Bagan galloped to a clinical 1-0 victory against struggling Chennaiyin FC on Thursday. It was their penultimate game of the Indian Super League 2021-22 season.
A first-half goal by Roy Krishna was the difference between the two sides. With the win, ATK Mohun Bagan are second in the league standing with 37 points from 19 matches, behind Jamshedpur FC.
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While addressing the media after the game, Juan Ferrando was asked if Chennai made them work hard for the victory. The Spaniard opined:
"To be honest, I think in the first half we were in a better position, attack-wise, and we were trying to find open spaces but of course, in the second half, it was very tight."
ATK Mohun Bagan's gaffer added:
"As compared to normal games, there is more pressure in games like this because we are thinking of the three points, a semi-final spot but for Chennaiyin FC it was the last game, it is the time to enjoy the game. And when you enjoy the game, you play better as compared to playing under pressure."
When Ferrando took the reigns at ATK Mohun Bagan, the club were seventh in the league standings. Under the Spanish gaffer's tutelage, the Mariners are unbeaten in the ISL so far. But Ferrando said:
"I am happy, but this is not my job. This is the job of firstly, the owners who trusted me with this. Second, the players are amazing. They accept our decisions, they have a lot of respect for us. They do their job very well. This is their result. What is most important is that we are in the second position and we have a chance in the semi-final."
Check out the ISL winners list here.
"The squad needs some fresh induction of players" - Chennaiyin FC interim boss lays out the road ahead for the club
Meanwhile, Chennaiyin FC were long out of the top-four race and came into their final game of the season with no strings attached. The Marina Machans are eighth in the ISL points table after their 20 with as many points.
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Interim head coach Syed Sabir Pasha was asked about the step forward for Chennaiyin FC. The 49-year-old gaffer said:
"The club has a heritage, it has a big heritage. Unfortunately, we have not been clicking for years, or the players whom we have been selecting are not able to perform to that level. The squad needs some fresh induction of players in form of fresh talent coming in."
The CFC gaffer further added:
"The most important thing is that we lack speed. Even in today's game if you see that we could have had a little bit of speed in our game, I think especially in the midfield like we could have done damage to them. We could have gone past their defenders but unfortunately, we don't have that. if we have to go forward we have to bring speed into this team that pace which we needed. Once that is injected the team will again come back."