Battle of strategy and mindset in title clash between Bengaluru and ATK Mohana Bagan
ATK Mohun Bagan will be looking to lift the title for the first time when they take on 2018-19 season champions Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League football final on Saturday. The Atlético Kolkata (ATK) franchise has won the title once but is awaiting its first title after joining Mohun Bagan. The team sealed its ticket to the final by remaining unbeaten in five consecutive matches. In four of these five matches, not a single goal was scored against him.
In the league stage, the club showed a great performance by the team’s defensive line. Only 17 goals were scored against the team during this period, which is the best figure after defending champions Hyderabad FC. These figures will not matter much when the team comes up against Bengaluru in the final. Bengaluru have India’s talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri as well as formidable frontline players in Roy Krishna and Shiv Shakti Narayan.
Bengaluru coach Simon Grayson has used the 38-year-old Chhetri as a substitute in the last few matches and the Indian skipper did not disappoint the team by scoring at crucial junctures. Hyderabad chief coach Juan Fernando said, “In the last few matches, his team (Bengaluru FC) has done very well. He played with confidence. We have to stop them from the start of the match. For this, we have faith in our plan.
Bengaluru coach Grayson would like to field Chhetri later in the final as well. “It is indeed a difficult decision to leave out a player of his kind, quality, experience and professionalism. But as a coach, be it Sunil Chhetri or Rohit Kumar, I have to do what I think is in the best interest of the team.
