ATK Mohun Bagan’s hunt for maiden ISL title continues
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Yet another arrow aimed at the Indian Super League championship goes in vain as ATK Mohun Bagan misses out on glory from close. The Mariners had a golden opportunity to defeat Jamshedpur by a margin of a couple of goals and claim the ISL league winner’s shield but the Steelers denied their attempt to grab the AFC Champions League group stage spot.
The club paid a huge compensation fee to terminate Juan Ferrando’s contract with Goa and land the Spaniard at the coach’s corner of the Green and Maroon side. These were consequences of Antonio Lopez Habas’ resignation citing a poor start to the 2021-22 ISL season. Habas has left behind a legacy and the Mariners have put their faith in Ferrando whom they consider a perfect successor to carry forward it.
After losing the table-toppers crown to Mumbai City in the previous season, the Mariners once again missed the chance to tick the bucket list. They had to satisfy with the third position in the points table attaining 37 points from the 2021-22 league stage campaign. The Kolkata-based club’s journey of 20 league fixtures consisted of 10 wins, 7 draws and 3 defeats.
Overseas Patrons
Krishna showcased an incredible fighting spirit in the semifinal round
As usual, Tiri played the role of the hardest rock in the Green and Maroon wall. The former Atlético Madrid B central defender has been part of ISL since 2015 and is yet to deliver a dull performance in the top-flight of Indian football.
The latest galactico of ATK Mohun Bagan, Hugo Boumous had a decent debut individual outing with the club but the fans had expected more from the French Magician for whom they paid ₹2 crores transfer fee. The arrival of Boumous snatched the starter status from David Williams who did not get enough playtime opportunities.
On the other hand, the face of the Mariners’ forward line, Roy Krishna couldn’t live up to the expectations of the legacy supporters. For the first time since gracing the Indian soil, Krishna couldn’t touch the double-digit mark of goals in a season and finished outside the Top 3 ranking of ISL Golden Boot. Although the Fijian captain left no stone unturned to take his side into the finals and scored in both legs of the semi-final against the champions Hyderabad.
Youngsters were on the rise!
Liston has become a favorite among fans and teammates as well
No other Indian forward in the league is capable of matching the consistency levels of Liston Colaco right now. ATKMB paid around ₹1 crore amount to acquire the services of the 23-year-old from Hyderabad which is the highest transfer fee for an Indian player till date. The Goan colossal earned a place in the hearts of Mariners scoring eight goals and four assists on the debut season at the Kolkata-based club. He was also the highest-rated ATK Mohun Bagan player of the season averaging 8.41 ratings throughout the campaign.
The spotlight was on Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh but the young starlet Kiyan Nassiri emerged out of nowhere and stunned the ISL universe. Son of East Bengal legend Jamshid Nassiri, the youngster became an overnight sensation of rivals ATK Mohun Bagan when he came from the substitute bench and netted a second-half hat-trick in ‘The Great Kolkata Derby’. The 23-year-old Indian attacking midfielder with Iranian descendants is the youngest ever hat-trick scorer in the history of the Indian Super League.
How did it conclude?
A drawback of having large star power is that many underrated and unknown commodities may go unnoticed as the coach’s preference is usually granted more on the known faces. One flaw from ATKMB’s 2021-22 campaign was the way they handled the injury and covid unavailability crisis as it could have been better.
ATKMB edged Hyderabad in the second leg but the eventual champions headed to the grand finale on an aggregate scoreline of 3-2. They tried their best to breach the Deccan fortress by releasing a whopping total of 28 shots but couldn’t disturb the advancing Nizams.
Takeaways from the season
Despite the hype around the roster, ATKMB always manages to dodge the risk linked with the heavy star power of the side. They have successfully kept themselves at the top half ever since the merger of two high-profile clubs.
We have witnessed a significant change in the playstyle of Mariners ever since the arrival of Juan Ferrando. And it was a treat to watch the ATK Mohun Bagan players adjusting to the system applied by the Spanish gaffer.
Up for the next
The Mariners are already overpowered on paper and don’t need any major changes. While gaffer Ferrando also seems to have a special attachment with current core players of maroon and green.
ATK Mohun Bagan management recognises the importance of the domestic department as it plays a vital role to strengthen the base of future plans. The likes of Liston, Manvir, Pritam, Amrinder, Bose etc. are regular features of the national side and this Elite pool of Indian Mariners provide appropriate support to the foreign starters.