ATK Mohun Bagan Private Limited, holds 80% shares which is owned by Sanjiv Goenka and rest 20% by Mohun Bagan. While Mohun Bagan has lifted the league title for the fifth time in this year, ATK won their third ISL trophy after beating Chennaiyin FC in the final.
Though the team is a merged entity yet the squad will consist players mostly from ATK. Kibu Vicuna, who guided Bagan to glory with a massive 16 point lead, only lost one match in the entire season, won 12 matches out of 16 and the remaining three was drawn, is now left out. On the other hand, under Lopez, ATK FC managed only 10 wins, four draws and lost four matches, finishing second in the league table with 34 points. Vicuna imposed an open play football for Bagan which heavily relied on the midfield but Lopez believed in wing play and counter-attacks through massive pace of his team.
The Spanish international, Kibu Vicuna is now the head-coach of the Kerala Blasters.
Coming to the formation with which ATK FC is accustomed to play is 3-5-2. With three defenders it becomes really difficult to match with the opponents pace and Lopez’s side ended up conceding goals and lose matches. The five midfielders usually found it difficult to come down during a counter attack resulting to put the defense in a vulnerable position. A more secured formation that ATK- Mohun Bagan should adopt is 4-1-3-2. The back four should be able to tackle the fast pace of the other teams in ISL and during attack, the defensive midfield can act as the bridge between the defense and the offense. The wingers will provide enough width in the pitch while the central-attacking midfielder can drag players with him to give the strikers an extra space and put the ball behind the net.
The 4-1-3-2 formation allows every player to distribute themselves equally in the field. With the extreme pace that ATK Mohun Bagan will have in the wing-backs and the flanks it would be easier for them to create pressure in the opposition half and they can easily fall back when they need to defend. They will arguably have the best midfield during the upcoming season, with experienced players, who can hold the ball with sheer strength and skill, and distribute it sublimely across the field.
Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem should now be given chance to prove his worth in between the sticks. He was undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers that emerged during the under-17 World Cup, puling out several unbelievable saves which restricted India from face loss. Though Arindam Bhattacharya is a much more experienced goalkeeper, yet age and reflex can be against him. Bhattacharya has crossed the age mark of 30 and has started to look hesitant, whereas Dheeraj is just 20, who has immense potential but lacks confidence and is yet to prove his worth. He just got one match to play in the previous season, where he conceded two goals.
Considering the back-four of ATK Mohun Bagan, Daneil Cyrus and Anas Edathodika can partner with each other as center-backs, Pritam Kotal and Ashutosh Mehta can serve in right back and left back respectively. Both the center-backs was rock solid when it came to defense and clearance this season. The Indian and Trinidadian international have 21 and 90 appearances respectively for their country and can be a massive pair as full-backs.
Side-backs, Pritam Kotal and Ashutosh Mehta can trouble the opposition with immense pace, both, while overlapping for an attacking move and while defending. Kotal played all the 21 matches conceding just three yellow cards and completing 34 successful interceptions, whereas Ashutosh played 14 matches, conceding just four yellow cards and completing 20 successful interceptions.
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The defensive and attacking midfield can be the duo of Mohun Bagan, arguably due to whom they were crowned as the I-League champions. Joseba Beitia should be put up in as a defensive midfield and Fran Gonzalez should take over as an attacking midfield in the team. The Spanish duo did wonders in the pitch and has an eagle eye for passing it precisely. Beitia managed to score three goals and gave nine assist for Mohun Bagan, whereas Gonzalez scored 10 goals and gave one assist for the Green and Maroons.
ATK- Mohun Bagan can retain the winger duo who had an outstanding performance in the 2019-20 ISL season, Prabir Das as right winger and Michael Soosairaj as left winger. They can easily be called the backbone of the ATK FC which lifted the ISL champions trophy in the previous season. Both the wingers can pierce through the opposition defense with cutting sharp runs and deliver marvelous balls into the final-third. The Indian partnership was amazing in covering distance in their respective flanks and was very effective in the defense as well. They had undoubtedly the best work rate in Indian Super League in the last season, while Prabir Das failed to score yet he gave five assists, completed 64 successful tackles and perfectly intercepted 31 moves, Soosairaj, on the other hand, scored three goals, made 38 interceptions and tackled 58 times without conceding a foul.
The attacking pair should be ATK FC’s Roy Krishna and Mohun Bagan’s Babacar Diawara. Both had a bull’s eye when it came to score goals. While Krishna, shared the Golden Boot award with Ogbechey, scoring 15 goals, Diawara netted the ball for 10 times. The playing contrast in both the strikers will become no match for any opponents. Krishna’s swift movement and cutting runs will keep the defenders bamboozled, while Diawara’s strength to hold off any defender will come in handy for ATK- Mohun Bagan. The Fijian and Senegalese duo will give a tough time with pace, precision and long shots.
Added to the ISL season 20-21, ATK- Mohun Bagan will also play in the AFC Cup 2021 by using Mohun Bagan’s I-League 2019-20 champions slot.
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