ATK clinched their third Indian Super League trophy after overcoming Chennaiyin FC 3-1 in the final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao on Saturday.
ATK head coach Antonio Lopez, meanwhile, became the first head coach to win the ISL trophy twice, having led the Calcutta-based side to the title in the inaugural season back in 2014 during his first stint with the club.
At the post-match press conference, a triumphant Antonio began by analysing the fixture, which according to him, was a tale of two halves. “I think that the match had two different parts. In the first half after the initial few minutes, we were better than Chennaiyin. And after that in the second half, with the injury to Roy (Krishna), the team was nervous. We couldn’t find the necessary personnel to keep scoring and kill the match off. In the second half, the team didn’t play well. But even though we didn’t play well, we had fantastic character. In some matches, you can win with the heart and on Saturday, ATK won 3-1,” he said.
The Spaniard also applauded the work put in by his players throughout the course of the season. “I have to congratulate the players for the fantastic work they did all season. They were disciplined. We are a group always. This is important. We had big problems with injuries to Carl McHugh, then Agus (Iniguez) and, in the final, the problem to Roy. But the strength of the team was the collective effort.”
The 62-year-old added: “When McHugh got injured, we had to move in the market. He was someone who could play in centre-midfield or centre-back and his injury was a big blow. After that, with the problem with Agus, the team was in a problem for two, three matches. But I think, the strength of the group salvaged the situation. When you have individual problems, the only solution is the team, the collective. This is the idea. I think that the mix between Indian players and foreign players was fantastic this season.”
Asked about the secret behind his success with ATK, Antonio noted, “ATK have people who love me, like I love ATK. I have a special connect with ATK since the first season and it continues. We are a family. This is amazing. This is the secret.”
On why he favoured the unconventional 3-5-2 system throughout the season, the Spaniard claimed: “We changed our system eight or nine times. The more important is the fundamental principle of play. We kept the 3-5-2 system because we have two important players in attack like (David) Williams and Roy. We had to use them. But more importantly, you have to learn what are the fundamental principles of the team are. After that, you can change. You can move this formation.”