ATK Mohun Bagan are all set to begin their journey in the AFC Cup 2021 on August 18 as they face the winner of the play-off round between Bengaluru FC and Club Eagles in the Maldives.
Antonio Habas' team underwent quite a few changes with a few new faces coming into the team. Ashutosh Mehta, Amrinder Singh, Hugo Boumous and Finland international midfielder Joni Kauko have joined the ranks during the summer.
The Spanish coach was happy with the new additions to the team and is hopeful of doing well in the upcoming competition including the AFC Cup.
What did Antonio Habas say?
"We are preparing for the competition. It's a new team, there are a lot of changes in the squad. The idea is to train every day and keep improving and to give our best in the matches.
"We have to continue improving. We have to improve from last season so signing new players was important for us. Players go out and players come in but the magic word is balance.
Next Match
"I think they (Joni Kauko, Hugo Boumous) are good players. Boumous is a player who has played very well in the ISL last season. Joni Kauko is also a very important player for us. It is a good balance between the attack and defence. These two foreign players are important for the season."
ATK Mohun Bagan
'Target is to win the ISL'
The two-time ISL winning coach rued that his team missed out on the title last season but he is confident that the new-look ATK Mohun Bagan have it in them to win it this year.
"We didn't win the title but the team was tied on the same points as Mumbai during the regular season. In the knock-outs, anything can happen. We had the possibility to win the title but we couldn't. But now we have to increase our level and the target this season is to win the ISL," stated Habas.
The Spaniard also mentioned that while there are problems in their preparation process ahead of the continental competition due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, he does not want to give any excuses and rather focus on delivering results despite all the challenges.
"The foreign players did not come together on the same day due to the current COVID situation. But I always say that there are no excuses. The competition is waiting for us in the Maldives and we will have absolute preparation," said the ATK Mohun Bagan coach.
