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ATK travelled to Mumbai with hopes of getting their first win of the ISL 2017 season, while Mumbai were looking to get their third successive win of the season. ATK came into the game with a lot of issues, the biggest of them being having just 15 fit players. Mumbai, on the other hand, had no such problems.
ATK have had the worst start in their ISL history, as they have just 2 draws and 2 losses from the first 4 games, and thus sit in the bottom of the table, whereas Mumbai were in search of the crucial 3 points which would have taken them to the 4th position.
The first half, in true sense, was a cagey affair with some openings in both the ends. Amrinder Singh, though, was the busier of the two keepers during the first half. The teams were even stevens when they went into the half-time break.
The second half started on the same note and ATK started attacking a bit more through the flanks and finally Robin Singh broke the deadlock as he tapped in a Zequinha cross past Amrinder's legs to score the winning goal for ATK. With this win, ATK move onto 5 points and climb to the 8th spot on the points table.
We take a look at the five talking points from the game:
#1 ATK’s Ro-Ro striking pair needs more time to settle in as a unit
Robin Singh and Robbie Keane were tasked with being the main men to get the goals for ATK. One is a legendary striker while the other is one of the better Indian strikers around, but both of them are yet to find their goal-scoring form.
When Ro-Ro were announced, they looked like a pair that was destined to produce some fireworks in the ISL, but so far they have only blown cool mists instead of fire.
Robbie just returned from an injury and is only justified that he needs more time to settle into a new league and system. Robin, on the other hand, has been working his socks off and was rewarded with a goal as he tapped into a Zequinha cross through Amrinder's legs in the second half to score the winner for ATK.
#2 Amrinder’s first-post woes continue
Amrinder Singh is, without a doubt, one of the best keepers in the country. But he is also one of those keepers who can pull off stunning saves and yet let in soft goals. Right from the first game of the season, Amrinder had been having issues at his near post. It was evident in the opening game against Bengaluru when he let in one though the near post. Four games later, it looks like his first-post woes have only got bigger with each passing game.
If Mumbai want to be a true title contender, they need their keeper in pristine form, and if Amrinder keeps on letting in goals at his near post, Mumbai may just suffer at crucial stages.
#3 ATK and injuries synonymous this season
It all started during the pre-season when Robbie Keane got injured and from then on, one player or the other has been getting injured for ATK. They lost Eugenson Lyngdoh to an injury against Jamshedpur which has had an adverse effect on the ATK team set-up.
On Sunday, they had Robin Singh, who scored the goal for them limping off the field and it was not a pretty sight for the ATK management. ATK will also hope that Robin's injury isn't serious and he returns to the pitch as soon as possible.
At the moment, ATK have only 14 players who could turn up fit for practice and that has been the main concern for the 2016 champions.
#4 Mumbai over dependent on Emana and Everton for creating chances
When Emana and Everton have good games, Mumbai win. The day these two fail to live up to expectations, Mumbai falter in their steps. Emana and Everton have been the main creators of chances for Mumbai. Emana has also been the main anchor man for Mumbai and has been having a good ISL season so far, as he does a brilliant job in breaking up play and creating chances on the counter for Mumbai.
But on Sunday, both of them were just a shade below their usual selves. It also got reflected in the Mumbai play as the likes of Balwant and Pranjal didn’t trouble Debjit’s goal much, except for the last few minutes when they threw the kitchen sink at ATK.
What was evident from the game is that if a team manages to stop Emana and Everton, they can stop Mumbai's supply chain and, in turn, stop Mumbai from attacking.
#5 ATK finally kickstart their campaign
Everyone was wondering when would the last season’s champions, ATK kickstart their campaign as they were languishing at the bottom of the table with just 2 points from 4 games with 0 wins. ATK also had problems aplenty this season with injuries and news of dressing room conflicts doing the rounds. All those didn’t help ATK, who were in truth, struggling to get their feet sorted out on the pitch.
With Robbie Keane’s return from injury and ATK signing Ryan Taylor, the Newcastle reserve team player seemed to have done the trick. ATK gave a better account of themselves on the pitch and managed to get their first full three points of the season, even though the team is still missing a lot of stars due to injuries.
The ATK faithful will be hoping that they can bank on this win and build a winning momentum which will push them up the ISL points table into a play-off spot.
