ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan, under Antonio Habas, have always been a force to be reckoned with. Habas’ teams are known for their defensive dilligence and fighting spirit. But this season, ATK Mohun Bagan have been struggling on all fronts and this might be Antonio Habas’ biggest challenge in his Indian Super League managerial career. Follow ISL Live on InsideSport.IN
After their 1-2 loss to Jamshedpur FC, ATK Mohun Bagan currently find themselves in fifth spot with six points to their name from four games. They have now lost two on the bounce and an even more worrying aspect has been the number of goals conceded — nine.
ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan losing way under Antonio Habas? Poor form raises questions
ISL 2021-22: Worrying stats for ATKMB
- After winning the Kolkata Derby against SC East Bengal, ATK Mohun Bagan have lost both games.
- ATK Mohun Bagan have conceded 9 goals so far.
ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan losing way under Antonio Habas? Poor form raises questions
Against defending champions Mumbai City FC, ATK Mohun Bagan were at their worst and the scoreline could have been absolutely anything. It ended 5-1 in Mumbai’s favour. While Antonio Habas would have wanted his side to bounce back, it was not to be against the Red Miners.
ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan losing way under Antonio Habas? Poor form raises questions
“We are not fantastic. I think we have to improve in the next matches,” Habas said after the game.
“I’m not thinking about it now much. For now, it’s impossible to solve the past two matches. We have to think about the next and improve more evidently,” he added.
This is not the only blip for ATK Mohun Bagan this season, as they were decimated 6-0 by FC Nasaf in the AFC Cup.
ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan losing way under Antonio Habas? Poor form raises questions
With things not going in his favour, Antonio Habas has come down heavily on the standard of refereeing in the competition.
“I don’t think that because in the first two matches the team had good performances, not after that. Because a lot of things had influenced the final score,” the Spaniard said.
“We have to respect the technical staff on the bench (as referees). I’m very very angry about that because we are professionals and also working for getting a good threshold for the club but sometimes it’s very difficult,” he further explained.
Captain on the night, @RoyKrishna21 feels the performance wasn’t good enough on the day but pledges to turn it around before the next match! 💚♥️#ATKMohunBagan #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন #HeroISL #JFCATKMB pic.twitter.com/YeJ8VnGrqK
— ATK Mohun Bagan FC (@atkmohunbaganfc) December 6, 2021
ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan losing way under Antonio Habas? Poor form raises questions
But Antonio Habas and his ATK Mohun Bagan team will be aware that they have been poor in the last couple of games and need to improve. But with the ISL schedule being as cramped as it is now, it offers little time to coaches to fix issues in the training ground.
One thing is for certain, this might be the biggest challenge in Antonio Habas’ ISL managerial career so far. How the Spanish tactician goes about fixing these chinks in his armour will go a long way in determining where his ATK Mohun Bagan side end up at the end of the season.
