Coming into the 2018-19 season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), ATK flaunt a squad which look like strong favourites to win the title. The two-time champions suffered a disappointing 2017-18 campaign and will be hoping to set the record straight in the new season.

The Kolkata based-side have signed a host of big-name players, while also appointing veteran Steve Coppell as the head coach. Ahead of the season kick-off on September 29, Sourav Ganguly, co-owner of the franchise, spoke exclusively to indiansuperleague.com on his side’s prospects for the new season.

Possible change in fortune

Ganguly started off by talking about the new-look squad and the challenge of overcoming last season’s disappointing finish. “Firstly, we need to try and get together as a team first, which is important. The changes are pretty normal and with the various systems and the models of the Hero ISL, sometimes players get left out and new players come in. So we’ll try and build a team. I think we’ve won it twice in the last four years and we were a very strong unit, but it’s a challenge for us. When you keep winning, the challenge becomes a lot more, so hopefully we’ll turn it around this year.”

Consistency is the key

Despite the new signings making ATK look like a solid unit on paper, their co-owner stressed that the performer who exhibits consistency will most likely emerge victorious. “We’ll have to play well. It’s a long tournament. It’s a six-month tournament now and not two and a half months, as it used to be before. So we have to be consistent. We have to hold the performance for a long period of time and hopefully, by the end of six months, you’ll get the right winner.”

Ganguly was also delighted with the team’s pre-season preparations. “I think preparations are very important and we’ve played some strong sides, even Fulham a couple of days ago. So there have been some pretty strong sides that we’ve trained with. Hopefully, we can put up a show on the big days, which starts from the 29th of September.”

Raising the standards

When asked about the growth of Indian football in the past few years, the former Indian cricket team captain had some positive words of encouragement, citing Mrs Nita Ambani, Chairperson of the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), as a pivotal figure. “It’s been fantastic! It’s the future of football and my humblest credit to Reliance and to Mrs Nita Ambani with the way she has gone about this tournament. It’s not just about going about this tournament, but the passion she’s shown towards Indian football. Hopefully, in the years to come, it will really improve the standard of Indian football and make them a strong contender to be in the world football league. “

Message to ATK fans

Ganguly concluded by sending out a message to all the ATK fans ahead of an exciting Hero ISL season. “As I’ve said before and I keep saying every year; keep coming to our ground and keep supporting us. We are the champions twice and hopefully, we can turn it around this year. See you at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, the Salt Lake Stadium, at the start of the season.”