PRE-MATCH QUIPS- Molina may field a fresh side: Habas: I am part of ATK's history
PUNE, FOR THE THIRD SEASON HAVE NOT made it to the knockout stages of the competition. On Pune's poor show in the Indian Super League, Coach Habas compared his current and former team that he has managed saying,
“If you see Pune’s team we lost two important players, one is Andre Bikey and the other is Eidur Gudjohnsen. So, we needed to make changes and adapt a new style of play and get a new marquee player. For example, 80% of their foreign players are the same, so there is an understanding . FC Pune City also want the same. As the team was new, we wanted to be more consistent. We beat the three top teams like Mumbai, Delhi and ATK and we just needed to be more consistent,”
Molina said he was willing to try out the lesser-played players in the upcoming game. On his approach against FC Pune City, the Spaniard said,
“We will approach the game the same way we approach every game and we will try to win and we will try to give a chance to players who are working hard and have not got a chance. I am going to give them a chance as I have absolute confidence in them. We will play the same way by trying to attack, trying to defend strongly, and trying to win,”
Habas turned down a suggestion that Pune City players were lacking motivation before the game ans said,
“We have professional players and we are a professional team and we have the same motivation for tomorrow as any other game,”
Molina, on the question if would be playing players who would be are on a card short of the suspension replied,
“Of course, I don't want any player to miss the first leg of the semi-final but I cannot tell you now who will play against Pune. We will have a look and then will try to see if everyone has recovered, and we want all the players to be available,”
On the feeling of being among the fans whom he was with the last season around, Habas expressed,
“I want to thank the ATK fans for their support for the last two years and I am grateful as I am part of ATK’s history as their first coach and I am very proud of my association with ATK and the ATK fans always support their team, which is great,”
Molina was asked which team he would want to face in the semi-finals. To which he replied,
“Delhi is the toughest team I faced but we still drew against them and we have drawn against Mumbai too, and they have been playing very well. Coming to Kerala and NorthEast, they still have a game to play, so we will have to see who will qualify. All the semi-finalists are difficult opponents but I am confident that we can play well against anybody and we can win.”
Habas on his assesment of the Indian players shared,
“Yes, there has been development in Indian football in these three years and it has made the Indian players more competitive but we need to grow and the league needs to become longer. I don’t want to take any names but there have been many Indian players who have shown tremendous development.”
Molina shared the update on the injured and recovering players in his team saying,
“Bidyananda Singh is not sure. Iain Hume is okay and Henrique Sereno is recovering and has trained with us. Sameehg Doutie has recovered from injury but he has fever, so we will have to wait and see,”
His views on the future of the Hero Indian Super League, Coach Habas said,
"For a longer league, we need to know if the international players are ready to come for six months. As a coach I am [mostly] working in South America or South Africa but I am also a professional and taking into consideration my family and other things, I am ready to come for six months.”
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