ISL 2018/19: The cream will rise only after the 6th round, says ATK coach Steve Coppell

ATK will be eager to improve their home record when they face defending champions Chennaiyin FC at the Salt Lake stadium on Friday evening. Steve Coppell’s boys lost the opening two home matches of the season but restored parity by winning the away tie against Delhi Dynamos FC. Lanzarote and Co. shared the spoils with Jamshedpur FC in the last game. The English coach is not at all bothered by their recent display and feels a true picture will reflect only after the sixth round. The Kolkata based team is currently placed at the 6th position.

During the pre-match conference, Steve said, “To be fair, it’s so early in the season that it won’t matter. The tables don’t really mean anything until you get to six games. After getting to six games, you see a definite order. Before getting to six games, it could just be coincidence or how the fixtures have. But after six, you can see which cream will rise and which teams will struggle. Until then, a run of results can be a coincidence.”

ATK’s head coach Steve Coppell feels that the teams are still striving to play their best football in the opening stages of the ISL. Regarding the matter, he said, “I hope so, I think at this early stage of the season, there are teams who are of a certain level. The teams are beating one another elevating themselves at the early stages. To be that we have to win at home. Good teams win at home. It is a challenge and we have to accept that, we need to win in our home ground, in front of our home fans.”

Steve Coppell feels that his team has still not identified a pattern of play, which is very important. “Early on in the season, you’re looking for a rhythm. You’re looking for familiarity between your players. You look to establish a style which can be successful. Until you get 3-4 games under your belt, you are searching a little bit. I think the time on the pitch is the most important thing. It’s only after you get a response from the actual games, that you can try and establish a pattern,” said the Englishman.

ATK has so far accumulated 4 points from a similar number of matches, while Chennaiyin FC has collected a single point in as many matches. Looking at the game, both the teams will be eager to cash in all the points on offer and get back on the track towards the championship once again. Meanwhile, Steve also informed that ATK’s forward Kalu Uche is fit to play on Friday evening.