December 2, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India: When the Mohun Bagan Super Giants take on Hyderabad FC in matchweek 8 of the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, head coach Juan Ferrando wants his team to win just three games to maintain their winning record.
The last ISL game that Mohun Bagan Super Giants played was a month ago. With four straight victories and maximum points earned, the Mariners are off to an incredible start in the ISL 2023–24 season. Mohun Bagan Super Giant is the only third team that has never experienced defeat, along with FC Goa and Mumbai City FC.
The Mohun Bagan Super Giants have lost in the group stages of the AFC Cup 2023–24, despite their incredible ISL start. After suffering a crushing 5-2 loss to Odisha FC in the continental tournament, the Mariners will be motivated to carry on their winning streak when they return to action in the ISL this weekend.
Ferrando expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome of their most recent AFC Cup game against the Juggernauts while discussing their performance. The Spaniard, though, preferred that his team concentrate on earning three points in their upcoming match.
“We work as professionals. You are free to select your path in this life. “We want to focus on the next three points, work hard, and look forward,” he said at the pregame press conference.
“We don’t need to talk about the AFC Cup all that much. We’re quite let down. Naturally, we are furious. However, we don’t alter the result. Right now, we need to focus on playing well against Hyderabad and winning three points,” he continued.
According to Ferrando, Hyderabad FC is performing well and demonstrating their ability to create opportunities. They have a strong team. He wanted to maintain their winning streak by concentrating more on themselves because he knew the Mariners would not be taking this game lightly.
Ferrando said, “If you watch Hyderabad FC’s away match against Kerala Blasters FC, they played so good.” Ferrando was speaking about the team’s recent performances. They only gave up one goal due to a single, minor error.”
“They also had plenty of opportunities to win the game at home when they played Chennaiyin FC. They lose the match and have one draw to start the season. However, Hyderabad FC has improved and is performing admirably since then. Perhaps in the last two games, they haven’t had any obvious opportunities. However, they have a strong team. They carry on using essentially the same approach. They have the same plan in mind,” he revealed.
“It’s not an easy match, in my opinion. Everyone is aware of the championship; don’t forget to play; it’s challenging. We had a lot of issues when we played Hyderabad FC, and we will have the same issues when we play Jamshedpur FC. Controlling our strategy and the specifics is what matters most to me, and I want to win the three points,” he continued.
The match between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Hyderabad has been moved to Bhubaneswar, so the team will have to play in a neutral location. Ferrando didn’t believe his team would have an advantage if they played at a neutral location.
Instead, he believed that both teams would have a challenging game. Ferrando stated in this regard, “I think also in the AFC Cup we play once in a neutral, and it’s not an advantage for us.”
“Even though playing away is challenging because the opposing team’s fans are pushing the other team, it’s fantastic when we play at home because our fans are in the stadium. It’s not, in my opinion, advantageous to either team. Both teams are facing challenges in this match. We don’t have an advantage because we need to get the three points,” he clarified.
Ferrando was joined by Armando Sadiku at the press conference prior to their upcoming away game against Hyderabad FC. Despite having played in Europe before, Sadiku has not yet performed at his peak in India.
“Occasionally, when you are in a different league or nation, you experience difficulties. However, I’m happy here; the team is excellent, and I make an effort to be prepared,” he said.
“A lot of fans had high expectations for me after the last game, I know. We didn’t play as well as a team or as individuals in the last game. He said, “I know I’m going to give this team everything, and I know we will succeed greatly. A lot of fans had high expectations for me after the last game, I know. We didn’t play as well as a team or as individuals in the last game. He said, “I know I’m going to give this team everything, and I know we will succeed greatly.
Sadiku is well aware that the Mariners want goals from him, just as all of their supporters do. However, he is optimistic that he can return to scoring in the game against Hyderabad FC by giving it everything he has.
“Every striker enjoys scoring goals, and the club’s supporters expect the striker to score goals. On occasion, when we create an opening, the others succeed. We thus make every effort to help the team score. Sometimes this doesn’t work, but we keep trying, and I’ll try my hardest to score in the next game,” he said in closing statement.
