Juan Ferrando is pressed for time. The Spaniard, who orchestrated the ISL victory for Mohun Bagan Super Giant in March and the Durand Cup earlier this month, is currently making arrangements for the upcoming season. As we get closer to the ISL 2023–24, the coach emphasised the significance of holding onto the championship.
“This is a new challenge for us to retain the title. I hope we become the first team this time to retain the ISL trophy this year. It’s obviously difficult. But I’m happy to have such a good squad. ”
After a record transfer window, Mohun Bagan Super Giant are once again the clear favourites. In just a few months, the Mariners have been able to secure the services of Indian regulars like Anwar Ali, Anirudh Thapa, and Sahal Abdul Samad. Additionally, the team has made a number of major international acquisitions across the board, including tried-and-true players like Jason Cummings and Armando Sadiku.
“I think everyone knows that a lot of things have improved in the teams, squads. All the teams are quality and have very good players, the squads are similar in quality. That is the most important detail in this league.”
According to Ferrando, there will be competition among the 12 teams to place in the top six teams in the ISL this season. Considering that several teams have already begun their preparations, he believes they will perform well.
“I think Odisha have a great squad and they won the trophy last season. They have the strongest squad to day and have recruited new players really well. 9-10 teams are ready to fight for the first position and the top six reach the final stages. It’s difficult to explain which teams are the favourites, because a lot of teams are ready. The teams are ready to reach the final and the top 6.” Juan Ferrando said.
However Mohun Bagan Super Giant were dealt with a major blow as Ashique Kuruniyan conjured up an ACL tear during King’s Cup. Though confirmed as a 40% ACL, the extent of Ashique’s injury is unknown. With Ashique injured, Ferrando only has Liston Colaco to fill the gap. Speaking on the note,
“At the moment, I don’t know about Ashique’s situation. He needs to check with the doctors before we realize the gravity of it (injury). Every player is very important to the squad, and if one player gets out with injury, then I can get very upset. It’s important to support him. At this moment, we’ll try to find a plan for him to recover and that he can recover fast. We’ll see with deciding about the rest of the players. We’ll see the situation of Ashique before making decisions.”
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The Mariners won the Durand Cup to kick off their season with a trophy. Given that East Bengal, their bitter enemies, stood in their way in the final, the victory was all the more delicious. On October 28, the Kolkata Derby of the season will be played in Kolkata. Each side has won the derby this year, which will offer further significance to an already explosive matchup. Regarding the significant of the clash, Juan Ferrando stated:
“The Kolkata Derby is important and I know how important to win the derby. In the Durand Cup, I would’ve preferred to lose the group game and win the trophy, which we did. The trophies are important to build history, so we need to keep that in mind. We try to win the derbies, but our real target is to win trophies for this club,” he concluded.
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