ISL 2023-24: Mohun Bagan coach Habas congratulates players for their professionalism and will power

Habas has relished a brilliant record with the Mariners, winning 10 matches, drawing two and losing as many in the 14 appearances the team made under him in the ISL so far.

Habas said that winning a title in such a competitive league is very difficult, and the players showed exceptional willpower in achieving that. | Photo Credit: Focus Sports/ISL

Mohun Bagan Super Giant reached its second consecutive Indian Super League final because the players displayed the willpower and professionalism required to attain such a feat, said the team’s head coach Antonio Lopez Habas. 

The Spanish tactician, who helped ATK to ISL triumph twice in his previous assignments, has returned to take Mohun Bagan SG to an unprecedented height of success in the post-merger era. Ever since he took over the charge of Mohun Bagan SG when he was recalled in favour of his compatriot Juan Ferrando in January, Habas has relished a brilliant record with the Mariners, winning 10 matches, drawing two and losing as many in the 14 appearances the team made under him in the ISL so far.

When Habas was asked about the immensely successful relationship he has enjoyed with the Kolkata club he has coached under different nomenclatures, he said, “It has been a long story. I coached different teams with different names but it was about the same old football. It feels nice individually as we always fought to get the maximum trophies for the supporters.”

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The veteran Spanish coach said that winning a title in such a competitive league is very difficult, and the players showed exceptional willpower in achieving that - “We have always discussed willpower while planning for the matches. It is a very important factor for a team to fight for 90 minutes and more, and that is what has carried the team thus far,” Habas said after Mohun Bagan SG beat Odisha FC 2-0 in the second leg match of the ISL semifinal to win the aggregate 3-2.

Habas said the performance highlighted the team’s professionalism and desire to win. “The team had one big thing and that was their energy and belief in their ability. They went to the pitch with intensity and a great desire to win, which is very important for a side to be successful. I am very happy for my players that they showed super professionalism and came up with this great effort despite the heat and humidity,” Habas said.

Odisha FC, which remained one of the most notable performers in the tournament, ended on a disappointing note after the narrow loss against Mohun Bagan SG. Juggernauts head coach Sergio Lobera, who had previously won an ISL double crown (League Shield and Cup) with Mumbai City FC in the 2020-21 season, congratulated the team for an amazing job. 

“I can tell my players, ‘Thank you so much, and congratulations for the season. It was an amazing season.‘ We know that when I signed up for this club, I knew it was going to be the biggest challenge in my career. But at the end of the season, looking back, I think the players did an amazing job,” Lobera said after the semifinal loss.

Lobera said his team put in enough hard work in the match and deserved a better result in the second half at Salt Lake Stadium. “As a coach, when you are coming back to the dressing room and you are thinking, what I can ask more from my players but the answer is nothing because they did everything.

“Finally, it is not about what you got or what you get. It is about what you deserve. And I think we deserved more in the second half,” Lobera added while reflecting on the number of close opportunities that his team missed in the second half before Mohun Bagan substitute Sahal Abdul Samad scored the second Mohun Bagan goal to clinch the issue in the injury time.