ATK Mohun Bagan officially announced Juan Ferrando as their coach on Monday. ATK Mohun Bagan parted ways with Antonio Lopez Habas on Saturday after enduring a four-match winless run.
“I will give my 110 per cent from Day I so that all the fans can enjoy best brand of football and hopefully we can celebrate together soon. I will consistently work towards helping our team give their best,” Ferrando said in a ATK Mohun Bagan media release.
Earlier in the day, Ferrando’s former employers, FC Goa, sent out a media release saying he has stepped down and former India international Clifford Miranda would be the interim coach.
Ravi Puskur, FC Goa’s director of football, said: “We’re very disappointed to lose Juan. His decision to leave the club was rather unexpected and came as a surprise, particularly at this juncture of the season. We’re particularly disappointed that we were kept in the dark until yesterday (Sunday) morning where he communicated his desire to leave the club. However, once he stated his stance and the release clause was activated, we were left with little alternative. I wish Juan the best for his future.” Akshay Tandon, FC Goa’s president and co-owner, had run a series of tweets on Sunday expressing his surprise at Ferrando’s decision to dump the club in the middle of the season.
ATK Mohun Bagan made a rollicking start to ISL VIII, beating Kerala Blasters and SC East Bengal, but suddenly their form dipped and they are now in the bottom half of the points table.
Ferrando is expected to be in the dug-out on Tuesday when the expensively-assembled side takes on NorthEast United FC at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
The 40-year-old Spaniard’s task will be cut out in the remaining matches as he has to revitalise a team which is very low on morale at this point in time. His predecessor Habas struggled to find the right combination after the introduction of the new four-foreigner rule and ultimately paid the price.
Defence is a cause for worry as ATK Mohun Bagan had just one clean sheet in the six matches they have played so far and conceded 13 goals.
Another puzzle Ferrando will have to solve is whether to start with both Hugo Boumous and Joni Kauko. Habas persisted with both Boumous and the Finnish international but, after the first two matches, the rivals caught ATK Mohun Bagan on the wrong foot.
Since the Calcutta Derby on November 27, ATK Mohun Bagan conceded five goals against Mumbai City, let in two against Jamshedpur FC in a 2-1 loss, allowed Chennaiyin FC to score the equaliser in a 1-1 draw and in the last match, a struggling Bengaluru FC scored three in a 3-3 draw.
“The players need to step up and grab their moment. The only objective now should be to win three points.” Manuel Cascallana, who was in interim charge till Ferrando was officially announced as head coach, said at the pre-match news conference on Monday afternoon.
