Why have the goals dried up at star-studded ATK Mohun Bagan?

After 17 games last season, ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) had scored 32 goals. That is 12 more than what they have managed in the Indian Super League (ISL) this term. Only the bottom two, NorthEast United and Jamshedpur FC, have scored less. What will rankle more is that East Bengal, in ninth place, have 21 goals. Only three games in 2022-23 ISL, in its 20th matchweek, have ended 0-0. ATKMB have featured in all of them: against Odisha FC, Chennaiyin FC and, on Thursday, Jamshedpur FC.

“If one team has three four shots on target, they have one goal. In our situation, we have, per match, eight or nine shots on target (but) we have zero goals. We are unhappy but we need to continue to support the players,” said ATKMB coach Juan Ferrando.

Against Jamshedpur FC away, ATKMB had seven shots on target and 15 attempts. But they were lucky to have got a point given that Jamshedpur FC’s Ritwik Das looked to have been denied a penalty and Boris Singh and Daniel Chukwu had the night’s best chances.

ATKMB are fourth in the standings with 28 points but Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, and Odisha FC could push them out of the top six as the league phase hits the home stretch. Teams placed third to sixth will be in the play-off for the semi-finals with the top two after the league getting automatic berths. A home defeat to Bengaluru FC followed by the draw has put Ferrando under pressure. An ATKMB official said the club is talking to Sergio Lobera, the former FC Goa and Mumbai City FC coach who is now in China. The official didn’t want to be named given the sensitive nature of the issue.

“I am all for a corporate culture but, I think we have failed to integrate that with the legacy and passion of Mohun Bagan,” said Debasish Dutta, a board member at ATKMB. Having held many roles including building teams that won I-League and its predecessor National Football League, Dutta is the general secretary at Mohun Bagan Athletic Club which is a separate entity.

ATKMB’s performance this term is not what you would expect for a club that, according to an official, spent nearly ₹156 crore since the merger with Mohun Bagan in January 2020. Since he wanted to protect his position, the official did not want to be named.

That ATKMB do not scrimp has been obvious in their team building. In 2021, Liston Colaco joined from Hyderabad FC following what was a record transfer fee of nearly ₹1 crore. According to officials at FC Goa and ATKMB, the buy-out clause in Ferrando’s contract was nearly ₹1.2 crore. Hugo Boumous and 2018 World Cup squad player Dimitri Petratos would be among the top five expensive players this term.

Colaco would be that among Indians with an annual salary of ₹3 crore, according to officials at ISL clubs. Worth approximately ₹2.25 crore, Ashique Kuruniyan is not too far behind. Manvir Singh would be worth around ₹1.5 crore. All current internationals – ATKMB have six from the squad that played in the 2022 Asian Cup qualifiers – the trio is on long-term deals. As Boumous said before Thursday’s game, ATKMB do not have many players who are young and inexperienced.

Yet, ATKMB have as many ISL titles as the last three teams in the standings – zero. After finishing runners-up in 2020-21, they lost to reigning champions Hyderabad FC last season. This time, they are eight points adrift of Hyderabad FC and 15 off leaders Mumbai City FC. Largely because the goals have dried up. The barren draws came against teams below ATKMB in the standings as have four of their five defeats.

‘Could be psychological’

Speaking about the lack of goals, Ferrando said, “maybe the reason is psychological or emotional. Maybe it is confidence.”

Given Ferrando’s preference for a false nine, he is from Barcelona and wants scoring responsibilities to be shared, it fit that he would dismiss the idea that a No 9 would solve the problem. “What if he is injured? Except for Mumbai, most players of the second line have scored, not No.9. Football is about timing and using space. What is the best moment to find space, that is what we need to know.”

Injuries to key players have not helped. Joni Kauko, who joined after playing in the 2021 Euros, was ruled out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury after six games, Singh has missed six games due to injury. But so has a dip in form. Benched at the start on Thursday, Colaco, 24, has one goal and four assists in 17 games. He had eight goals and five assists in 22 last season. Of course, Colaco’s lean run affects the team, said Ferrando.

“Normally, the local (Indian) players, when they have no success in one dribble, one cross or a one against one, immediately they lose confidence. If the last match didn’t go well, it affects their performance in the next match. And that often leaves you with eight players on the field.” Supporting them on and off the pitch is the only way to help them overcome this, he said.

Between them, Singh and Colaco had 20 goal contributions in 2021-22 leading to a hike in pay and new deals. That number is nine this term. Together, Colaco, Singh and Kuruniyan have 10 goals contributions. Mahesh Singh and VP Suhair, who would have cost East Bengal a fraction, have 11.

Two seasons behind closed doors too has played its part and some Indian players are struggling to deal with the pressure of playing in front of a crowd, said the coach. Given that Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have more supporters than most teams in Asia, it would affect their players more. “If you are not able to handle the pressure, play amateur or local league,” said Boumous.

“It is great that the team trains at Mohun Bagan but most sessions are closed. Even Sailen Manna (former India captain and Asian Games gold medallist) had to face supporters’ ire as an official and needed police protection to leave the club,” said Dutta. “I am not sure we have been able to convey to players and the staff the responsibility that comes with playing for this shirt.”