ATK Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando believes the best form of defence is attack as they take on Hyderabad FC in match 85 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season at Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Tuesday.

ATK Mohun Bagan are sixth in the league table with 20 points in 12 matches. They are on an eight games unbeaten streak. The club is only a couple of points away from breaking into the top four.

ATK Mohun Bagan played a 1-1 draw against Mumbai City FC in their last match. They had 15 shots at goal out of which five were on target.

Ahead of ATK Mohun Bagan’s clash against Hyderabad FC, coach Ferrando addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

ATK Mohun conceded a late goal in the first leg of the fixture, do you expect it to be a tight match once again?

The situation is different than last time. I think all the teams have changed a lot in so many ways, strategically or tactically. Teams have had players in quarantine or injured so it becomes necessary to change some details. For example, our plan for tomorrow’s game is different from our last game against Hyderabad FC.

How do you plan to organise your defence against such a strong opposition?

The best defence is the best attack. This is our style. If we are playing in attack it’s not necessary to work in defence.

Are you devising a plan to stop Bartholomew Ogbeche?

No, I don't think we need to focus only on Ogbeche. If you look at their lineup and substitutions, they all are good players. Ogbeche is the star player of the team but behind him it's the job of his teammates to provide him the ball in the best moments.

The number of missed passes have been getting higher, do you think it’s a problem?

No, because we want to win. Our way is, if you want to win you need goals. If you need to score goals you need to create spaces. If you create spaces then players need to use spaces. When you use these spaces you create chances. This is our way but I repeat it’s not easy. In one month the players have worked with me, we were in quarantine for 20 days. We try to improve game-by-game with a lot of pressure because we want to get the three points.

Do you think there’s still hope for the team to finish top of the table and qualify for the AFC Champions League?

That is our target. Of course our other target is to get the three points in the next game and take it game-by-game. For me the most important thing is to think about Hyderabad FC and NorthEast United FC. Because then we can reach the top of the table. If we think about finishing top of the table and not focus on our daily job then it’s difficult to be successful in future. I think it’s important to think in the present.

It seems Ashutosh Mehta, Deepak Tangri, and Manvir Singh haven’t been at their best in the last couple of games. Are you looking to change them?

For me Deepak Tangri is fantastic in press. But of course, he needs to improve in build-up play which is normal. It’s my job to help him improve. Ashu (Ashutosh) has good positioning. He played in the left-back position against FC Goa and Hyderabad FC and his performance was very good. He needs to be better at deciding moments to attack. I am not upset about them. They will improve.