ISL 2019-20 | Remember Chennaiyin from past as dangerous opponent, says Antonio Habas
ATK manager Antonio Habas Lopez has stated that though he doesn’t know the current form of Chennayin FC, he has known them to be a difficult opponent from his previous stint in ISL. The Spaniard has also stated his side would approach Chennaiyin as a totally different opponent to that of Hyderabad.
Despite starting the ISL with a narrow 1-2 loss against Kerala Blasters, a match which saw numerous decisions going against ATK, the two-time champions bounced back in style against Hyderabad FC at home by running a 5-0 rout over them.
ATK would be taking on the only other two-time champions in Chennaiyin FC on Wednesday. And while the Marina Machans have plummeted in recent years, Habas has admitted that he knew them from his previous stint when the likes of Elano and Stiven Mendoza created magic for the club.
“Football is changing all the time. Chennaiyin haven’t scored a goal in their first two matches but against us, they might. It’s just a statistic which is not important for me. The 90 minutes are important. Two matches are never similar. With this mentality, we have to face Chennaiyin. (Chennaiyin are) Dangerous. I don’t know Chennaiyin now, but I remember them from the past. Chennaiyin is a strong opponent. I absolutely respect the opponent, the coach, the players and the fans of Chennaiyin,” said Habas in the pre-match press conference ahead of his next clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
One of the biggest differentiators between ATK’s two matches was the accuracy in scoring goals, for the side was quite capable in creating opportunities on both occasions. However, stating that it was all about probability, Habas assured that his side was working hard to improve.
“In football, the situation is different. Maybe one day you have five chances and can’t score the goal and maybe one day you have only one and you score the goal. We are working every day to improve our finishing.
“Physically we are maybe 75-80%. I think the pre-season was at a fantastic level. The players are putting all the effort. I am happy with the performance of the team,” he added.
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