Ofentse Nato (left) and Arnab Mondal (on top) celebrating a goal.Atlético de Kolkata are not going to rest on their laurels despite sitting at the top of the Hero Indian Super League standings and are going for a win against FC Pune City whom they run into at the Salt Lake Stadium tomorrow.Explaining the rationale behind their resolve, central defender Arnab Mondal said at a press conference on the eve of the match, “We plan to finish the first half of the tournament being on the top of the table, so if we draw tomorrow and if Chennaiyin FC win their next two matches and go to the top of the table, then, that would be a mental setback for us. So we want to win tomorrow and finish at the top.”On being asked how much of a boost the return of their spearhead Fikru Teferra would give them, Mondal replied that although the Ethiopian’s presence would be an advantage, his team’s position at the top of the table has been their main boost so far.“Fikru provides an extra dimension to the attack, but the rest are also doing well,” added central midfielder Ofentse Nato, who was also present at the press conference. The Botswana player said it would also be a plus having their head coach Antonio López Habas back in the dugout. “The coach's presence is always important,” he quipped.On the other side, Mondal did not give importance to the likely absence of David Trezeguet from the opposition line-up tomorrow, claiming that their focus in on the Pune team as a whole and not on a particular player, be it the Frenchman or Dudu Omagbemi.On being told that the team has been unable to hold on to the lead in three matches so far, Nato explained, “I don’t know if it's a lack of confidence or loss of concentration, it happens in football, but what's important is that we are not losing.” Mondal added that they would be cautious in their coming matches about conceding such goals.The duo agreed that they would miss their key players Jofre and Denzil Franco, but these things are par for the course. Said Nato, “No doubt, we are going to miss Jofre. He has been our best and most consistent creative player so far, but the good thing is that now Fikru is back. So one player goes out and another player comes in to bolster our attack.” Mondal revealed that they train with rotations so that eventualities like injuries and suspensions are taken care of.
