Two-time champions ATK come into the 2018-19 season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) as strong contenders for the crown. After a tumultuous last season, where they finished near the bottom of the pack, the Kolkata giants have completely overhauled their squad in a bid to regain their past glory. With a new manager and a host of big names in the squad, we take a look at ATK’s chances for the new season.

TRANSFER INS AND OUTS

ATK have been busy in the summer transfer window, adding experienced players from the league to their ranks. In defence, the trio of John Johnson, Gerson Vieira and Andre Bikey have been roped in to shore up the backline.

Everton Santos and Pronay Halder were also brought on board to provide the much-needed creativity and drive in midfield, while Manuel Lanzarote and Kalu Uche will be held responsible for supplying the goals upfront. However, what remains to be seen is how well they all gel together to regain the lost crown.

AT THE HELM

After the departure of Robbie Keane during the summer, ATK have appointed Steve Coppell as their new manager for the upcoming season. The Englishman has a wealth of experience in the league, previously coaching Kerala Blasters FC and Jamshedpur FC in two consecutive seasons.

He took Kerala to the final of the 2016 campaign and made Jamshedpur into a solid defensive outfit last season. Given the quality of players at his disposal, Coppell will use his coaching talents to turn this ATK side into a well-oiled machine.

STRENGTHS

The biggest factor in ATK’s advantage is the presence of some of the finest and most experienced players in the league within their squad. The likes of Johnson, Manuel Lanzarote and Vieira are serial winners and will bring in the much-needed quality and composure.

With the presence of Steve Coppell at the helm, who has the experience of managing big-name players, ATK look like a solid outfit with very few cracks in their side.

AREAS OF CONCERN

While ATK have done well to bring in quality players, the squad will have to get rid of their demons from the past season. Despite the presence of household names such as Robbie Keane and Teddy Sheringham at the helm, they finished only in ninth place last season.

The new signings will take some time to build chemistry among themselves and as a result the team might have a slow start to the season.

SQUAD

GOALKEEPERS: Avilash Paul, Debjit Majumder, Arindam Bhattacharja

DEFENDERS: Aiborlang Khongjee, Gerson Fraga Vieira, John James Johnson, Arnab Kumar Mondal, Ricky Lallawmawma, Lalhmangaihsanga, Andre Bikey, Prabir Das

MIDFIELDERS: El Maimouni Noussair, Cavin Peter Lobo, Komal Thatal

FORWARDS: Everton Santos, Kalu Uche, Balwant Singh

FINAL VERDICT

Given the quality of players at their disposal, it is hard to see ATK not competing for the top spots this season. The club has done well to address their issues from last season, making the most of the summer transfer window. It will be interesting to see how the new players build a chemistry amongst themselves under Coppell.

The team performed well in the pre-season against the likes of CD Almunecar City and Real Murcia. After their pre-season camp, ATK will return to their base in India for further preparations ahead of the season opener, where they meet Kerala Blasters at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

To view their full list of fixtures for the season, click here

Related tags:

2018-2019