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ATK Mohun Bagan on Thursday announced that Juan Ferrando will continue as the club's head coach for the upcoming AFC Cup and the Indian Super League 2022-23 season.
Days after the 2021-22 ISL season came to a conclusion, the Mariners renewed the Spaniard's contract. According to the ATKMB media statement, the primary reason behind the Green and Maroon camp's confidence in Ferrando is his performance.
Since his switch to the ATK Mohun Bagan camp in December 2021, the 41-year-old mentored the Mariners in 16 games, out of which the team lost only two. ATKMB narrowly missed out on the League Winners' Shield after losing to Jamshedpur FC in their final league phase encounter. However, they qualified for the ISL 2021-22 playoffs after finishing third in the points table.
In the semi-finals, the Mariners yet again suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat on aggregate against eventual champions Hyderabad FC. Since Ferrando's takeover, ATKMB have looked defensively solid and yet at the same time, they've played intricate possession-based attacking football.
The road ahead for ATK Mohun Bagan and Juan Ferrando
The contract renewal marks the start of a new journey for the Green and Maroon brigade. The club look determined to ditch former head coach Antonio Lopez Habas' defensive approach and imbibe Ferrando's more exciting brand of football.
Although they've failed to go all the way in the ISL, the Mariners will soon have another opportunity to shine when they participate in the 2022 AFC Cup qualifiers. ATK Mohun Bagan have their qualifying match on April 12 at Yuva Bharati Krirangan but their opponents are yet to be finalized. Preparations for that match will start on April 1.
Meanwhile, the head coach thanked Sanjiv Goenka, the team's principal owner, and the team management in an official statement, saying:
"I am very grateful to Dr Goenka, Club owner, and the Club Management, for trusting and respecting my work. After the ISL season, we started to count down the minutes to play in the Yuva Bharati. We are waiting to feel the warmth of the Mariners."
The AFC Cup qualifier is expected to be the first game the club will play in front of their fans after a long hiatus.
