It was a homecoming celebration of sorts for Antonio Habas Lopez at the Salt Lake Stadium where ATK put five past Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League fixture on Friday.
A first half brace from David Williams in between a goal from Roy Krishna gave ATK a 3-0 lead at half time. Edu Garcia completed the rout with a late double strike to take the side top of the points table and end Hyderabad's night in horror.
Here are the major talking points from the night.
1) Williams-Krishna make a frightening strike duo
Williams and Krishna, who formed a deadly duo in the A-League at Wellington Phoenix, further showed glimpses of their understanding as they tore Hyderabad apart in the first half. Williams, in particular, with his pace, set the tone for ATK by harrying down Hyderabad players to commit errors in possession. They seem to have an unselfish equation between them which was evident when Krishna chose to set up Williams in a 2-on-1 counter attack which the latter eventually failed to score from.
2) Jayesh Rane - unsung hero
Jayesh Rane continued in his midfield role in the 5-3-2 formation but had a different partner in Carl McHugh in place of Pronay Halder. Rane was relentless in chasing down Hyderabad players and was on most occasions the first to loose balls ahead of the opposition players. He often drifted to the left side when in possession and was instrumental in releasing Michael Soosairaj to attack down the flanks. His hard work was rewarded when he intercepted a stray pass to release Williams through for his second goal of the night.
3) Soosairaj comes good in new role
Coach Habas puzzled many when he deployed the club's record transfer signing, Soosairaj, in the left wing-back role against Kerala Blasters. Soosairaj, once again, started in that role and justified the coach's decision with an eye-catching performance in the new position. Although, Hyderabad players made a few defensive errors, the Tamil Nadu winger made the most of it by nearly punishing them with a goal. He often cut in from the left and looked to find the net from distance with curling efforts. He nearly scored in the first half when he struck the far post. He also found room to go on his mazy runs and slotted in well in defence to help the side keep a cleansheet. Habas insisted the position wouldn't be a permanent one for Soosairaj over the course of the season.
4) Marcelinho threat negated
Hyderabad lacked imagination when in possession and hardly threatened in attack. In Marcelinho, who won the golden boot in the 2016 season, coach Phil Brown has one of the most creative attacking midfielder in the league. The Brazilian was often tasked with finding Robin Singh and Giles Barnes with balls over the top, which were nullified by the ATK defenders. On the other instances, he drove the ball into space inside ATK's box but didn't have much support. Brown will have to find a way to get the best out of Marcelinho's attacking attributes.
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