The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) is now twelve matches old and Atlético de Kolkata are already perched at the top of the league standings. With three wins and one draw to their credit, not only are they the team with the most points, but also the team with the most goals scored, the most assists provided and the most shots on target.The numbers signify their attacking and aggressive style of play. But there is one area that they currently top which they’d like to forget quickly – that of the most bookings for any team in the ISL. After their last game against FC Goa, the ISL announced that the home side’s star striker Fikru Teferra Lemessa and manager Antonio López Habas were suspended, with Fikru getting a two-match ban and Habas set to miss four matches. Certainly, a blow to their team?Winger Sanju Pradhan and central defender Josemi of Atlético de Kolkata seemed happy to take questions at the media interaction held on Saturday.Reacting to the suspensions, Pradhan said that they were focused on the Sunday game against Kerala Blasters FC and that the news would not have any adverse impact for the rest of the ISL.“Whatever happened in Goa is a matter of the past… The focus is on the next match and we are ready to get three points tomorrow,” quipped Josemi. When asked if the absence of their coach is a setback, he added, “It is the players who play on the field, not the manager.”Pradhan also emphasised that Atlético de Kolkata had missed the services of their marquee player Luis García in their last match but were still able to register an away victory and that was evidence enough of their chance of putting up a good show against the bottom-placed Kerala Blasters.Both players also mentioned that the atmosphere in their team is normal and everybody is looking forward to winning their next tie. On being asked about players like Biswajit Saha and Denzil Franco who are nursing injuries, Josemi stated Atlético de Kolkata has enough bench strength to cope with the absences. A word about their opposition Kerala Blasters? Pradhan maintained, “They are a good side. Trevor Morgan and his boys know the conditions of Kolkata well; they have a combination of good foreigners and Indian players, so it would be a tough fight tomorrow”.Atlético de Kolkata take on Kerala Blasters FC at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Sunday, October 26.
