ISL: ATK Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando hails team's effort despite injuries

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 29 : Following his side's win over FC Goa in their Indian Super League (ISL) match on Wednesday, ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando hailed the effort put up by his team despite injuries, in particular their star Australian forward Dimitri Petratos.
Dimitri Petratos and Hugo Boumous scored goals in each half to ensure victory for the home side, while Anwar Ali grabbed a goal for the visitors to cancel out Petratos' opener in the first half. With this result, ATK Mohun Bagan reclaims the third spot in the standings while sixth-placed FC Goa sees their position unchanged in the standings.
Ferrando, highlighted the concerns regarding injuries his side has been facing this season but hailed the mentality of his players to bounce back after a defeat in their previous game.
"This season we are not lucky with injuries, and it is not so easy, the players are not in a regular condition to play every match," Ferrando stated as quoted by an ISL press release.
"The last month was incredible for us. We had a lot of injuries. Dimitri Petratos has had problems with his hips for the last two weeks. More than the performance, I need to talk about the effort of the players. It was incredible in a difficult situation. The mentality to come after a loss against NorthEast United FC was positive," Ferrando added.
ATK Mohun Bagan will be handed a huge boost as they host league leaders Mumbai City FC in their next fixture on January 14, 2023. Ferrando would definitely take this as a blessing as he looks to get his best players back fully fit into the team going into the new year, which is important as the Mariners eye their way to the top.
"We have the break, but we need to prepare well for the game against Mumbai City FC, it is time for recovery, and the physios are working well," said the ATKMB head coach.
ATK Mohun Bagan has signed defender Slavko Damjanovic in the ongoing transfer window and is looking to add more players to their injury-hit squad. Discussing the strategy for the transfer window, Ferrando said the club is doing their best to bring in players.
"The club is working hard in the transfer window, the best players are in different teams with contracts, and it is necessary for us to find a proper player in the positions because when we play in attack, we can create spaces, and we need players who can do that (find and attack the spaces), but sometimes it is hard to find players in the winter transfer window, and if we cannot find the best players, it is necessary to have a plan," revealed Ferrando.