Tag: Juan Ferrando

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Hyderabad FC, ATKMB face-off in big clash at Fatorda

Jan 5, 2022 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #ATKMB, #Bartholomew Ogbeche, #Disney+ Hotstar, #FC Goa, #HFC, #Hugo Boumous, #JioTV., #Juan Ferrando, #Liston (Colaco), #Manolo, #Manolo Marquez, #Manvir Singh, #NorthEast United, #Roy Krishna

Goa: After seeing off 2021 with a resounding 6-1 victory over Odisha FC, Hyderabad FC are back in action in the Indian Super League for the first time in the new year when they take on ATK Mohun Bagan in an away game at Fatorda on Wednesday.

Currently 2nd in the league table, HFC have 15 points from eight games while ATKMB has 14 points from their eight games and stand in the 4th position, making this game a crucial one for either side as three points takes the winner to the summit.

After a strong start to the campaign, ATKMB had a tough run of results. A change in leadership followed when they roped in Juan Ferrando from Goa after their clash against Hyderabad. The Spaniard is into this third game as the coach of the Kolkata-based side and HFC Head Coach Manolo Marquez believes that he will take time to implement his system at ATKMB.

“Juan Ferrando is a very good coach, but he has just arrived at the club. He has had more time to work with the team now and he will try to change something but at the moment, they are similar to their time under the previous coach,” said Manolo.

“Ferrando will try to change the style but this takes time. ATKMB are a big team and for sure, they will fight for the title,” he added.

The Mariners have the likes of Liston Colaco, Hugo Boumous, Roy Krishna and Manvir Singh in fine form in front of goal. Pritam Kotal, Tiri and Carl McHugh add balance to the side and will be a tough team to face on Wednesday.

“When you play against strong teams, every detail is important. Liston, Roy Krishna, Manvir, Williams are all dangerous players in open play and set-pieces,” said Manolo.

“But we have to control the game and try to stick to our style of play. We cannot go to the game and try to defend these players and wait for that one chance. We have to stick to our style and play at our best,” he added.

The HFC Head Coach also revealed that Halicharan Narzary remains the only player sidelined for this game with the injury. ATK Mohun Bagan has no new injury issues to worry about either, ahead of this clash.

Speaking about the game, Manolo Marquez further added, “ATKMB are a strong side but we cannot change our style for this game. Both teams will have chances to win and we will give our best.”

The hosts are fresh from back-to-back wins over FC Goa and NorthEast United and will be high on confidence going into this game. Meanwhile, Hyderabad FC is also in good form, and are unbeaten in their last seven league games, while they also have the best defence in the league at this stage.

Bartholomew Ogbeche will look to add to his goals to take back the lead in the ISL Golden Boot race while former HFC player Liston Colaco will want to keep up his form and continue to lead the charts for Indian goal scorers this season.

The game kicks off at 7:30 pm IST on Wednesday and will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network with live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and JioTV.

FC Goa vs. Bengaluru FC
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FC Goa vs. Bengaluru FC : 10 things to know about the game

Dec 10, 2021 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #FC Goa vs. Bengaluru FC, #Juan Ferrando

FC Goa’s clash against Bengaluru FC on Saturday night represents Juan Ferrando’s men with the opportunity to build further momentum. The Gaurs showed both grit and guile to overcome SC East Bengal 4-3 earlier this week in a game that saw Goa take the lead on four separate occasions.

The win, the first of the season for FC Goa was a timely boost for the Men in Orange after enduring a torrid start to the season owing to three losses in as many games to begin their campaign.

Juan Ferrando, the FC Goa head coach, spoke of the shot in the arm that his team received after capturing their first three points.

“In high-performance sports like ours, you work to win, so the 3 points help us to better face the preparation of the next game,” the Spaniard stated.

The gaffer reverted to a change in tactical approach following the dismal showing in the opening games. He, however, felt that tactics were not the most important aspect in effecting the turnaround.

“I’m happy with the attitude shown by the players. After three defeats, teams tend to lose strength psychologically, but we kept fighting,” opined Ferrando. “I congratulate the attitude of the foreign players, the non-regulars in the starting 11, and those on the bench. In this case, for me, the system and tactics are secondary.”

With Bengaluru reeling from consecutive defeats in their last two games, this gives the Gaurs the perfect opportunity to further inflict damage on the Blues. Another three points will not move the Gaurs to midtable but also provide a much-needed kickstart to their campaign.

Heading into this fascinating fixture, here are 10 things you should know about the game:

0 – FC Goa has never kept a clean sheet against Bengaluru. The only time the Blues failed to find the back of the net in the regulation 90 minutes was in the ISL final of the 2018/19 season where a Rahul Bheke goal in the 117th minute helped them script a win.

4 – Having missed the majority of the pre-season owing to an injury sustained in the Durand Cup and beginning the season from the bench, Jorge Ortiz has started to come into his own in the last two games. The fleet-footed Spanish forward has raked up 4 goal contributions

8 – Bengaluru FC has been the first to score in 8 of the last 9 games the two sides have come up against each other. The only time the Gaurs did score first was in their penultimate league game of last season when Juan Ferrando saw his men come out with 2-1 winners.

9 – Bengaluru FC has not been able to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 9 games. The last the Blues were able to blank a side was on February 5, 2021, when they played out a goalless draw against Chennaiyin FC. The Gaurs are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

13 – One expects Saturday night’s clash to be a high-intensity one with high pressing a norm. The two sides lead the league in Challenge Intensity Index (Number of challenges and interceptions made by defending team per minute opponent’s ball possession). While FC Goa leads the league with 13, Bengaluru FC is a close second at 12.3.

26 – Alberto Noguera’s brace in the last game was the first time an FC Goa player playing as a midfielder has scored more than one 1 goal in a game in 26 ISL matches. Hugo Boumous was the last player to do so when he scored twice in the 5-0 drubbing of Jamshedpur FC in the last league game of the 2019/20 season.

53 – Only Hyderabad FC records more interceptions in a game than Bengaluru. The Blues average 53 interceptions per game. FC Goa, on the other hand, has recorded only 41 interceptions per game through their first 4 games. Only Jamshedpur FC has a lower number.

68 – Saturday night’s game will pit two sides in the ISL with the highest possession during games. FC Goa, on average, enjoys 66% of the possession while Bengaluru is second in the league with an average percentage of possession of 60%.

90 – Only Hyderabad FC (93) launch more attacks than FC Goa (90) per game in the ISL this season. Bengaluru is a close third 88 attacks per game to their name.

543 – FC Goa leads the league in terms of a number of passes per game (543) with Bengaluru a close second with 460 per game. The Gaurs also lead the league in terms of pass accuracy at 85%.

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Hindsight: Juan Ferrando stresses on further improvement after first win of the campaign

Dec 7, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #FC Goa, #Juan Ferrando

Mumbai: FC Goa celebrated their first win under Juan Ferrando on Sunday when the Gaurs overcame Kerala Blasters 3-1, powered by Igor Angulo’s second brace of the season.

It was a dominating performance from Ferrando’s men. True to their style and philosophy, the Gaurs were the ones who took the initiative and ended the game with the majority of possession and more chances created. The head coach, though, stressed on further improvement in the days to come.

“I am happy about the final score, of course. For us, 3 points in all the games will be important. But it is important to continue working and prepare for the game against Odisha because there are some aspects of the game that I am not so pleased with,” remarked Ferrando.

“I am more focussed on the transitions more than anything. That and the high press is what I am looking at more critically. That where there is room for improvement. It’s possible to win 5-0. We want to win 5-0 or 6-0, but we have to take things step by step. Our target is Odisha now and to get the three points again.”

Ortiz to the fore

Sunday also marked Jorge Ortiz’s first goal in FC Goa colours. The winger has looked a real threat down the wings in all the games that he has played, and his sense of adventure was finally rewarded.

The Spaniard could have brought down the roof at Fatorda with a venomous hit from 35 odd yards out. Ortiz tussled with Nishu Kumar, got up after falling down, controlled the ball before unleashing a pile driver. The crossbar though came in the way of which could have arguably been the goal of the season.

He continued to be a prominent thorn in the Kerala backline and his perseverance finally paid off in the second half. A neat one-two with Brandon Fernandes helped him find space in the penalty box. A delightful first touch was followed by a ferocious shot that left Albino Gomes in the Kerala goal without a prayer.

“I am really happy about Ortiz (getting his first goal). He has been working hard. He has a number of qualities. He has a great shot and can cross the ball really well. His performance is getting better by the day,” said the head coach on the Spaniard’s performance.

“In my opinion, they need more time (to get up to speed). These guys need more games and more training sessions. I feel in two more weeks, this team would be in a lot better place.”

High praise for Kerala

Whilst the Gaurs ran out comfortable 3-1 winners in the end, Ferrando had high praise for Kerala, a team he feels will climb up the table in the days to come and finish amongst the top teams in the league.

“If the people saw today’s game, I hope that they really enjoyed it. It was two teams who were looking to play football and attack each other. They were building through second actions and positional attack. In my opinion, Kerala will be most likely in the top positions,” Ferrando opined.

“I think we had more clear opportunities, but both the teams really tried to play football. And I think we dominated the 10-12 minutes after going 2 goals up. With the score at 0-0 and 1-0, though I feel Kerala gave a good account of themselves with Facundo (Pereyra) and Vicente (Gomez) in midfield. Their two wingbacks were also really impressive. They are fantastic players.

“I understand it is a difficult moment for them (having not won a match yet this season). It was the same with us. However, I feel they will improve with each coming day. I am really pleased to have won against them, they are a really good side. They play really good football and that is important for the fans, the supporters and for the future of football in India.”