ATK hope to salvage pride against Kerala
Kolkata, Feb. 7: After four consecutive defeats, defending champions ATK will hope to salvage pride against Kerala Blasters FC in an Indian Super League match here on Thursday.
The two- time champions lost 0- 2 to Bengaluru FC in the previous match.
ATK overhauled the squad this season, walking out of a partnership with La Liga team Atletico Madrid.
Former Manchester United star Teddy Sheringham was roped in as chief coach. He was sacked after 10 matches for poor results. Technical director Ashley Westwood, an I- League winning coach with Bengaluru FC, was given interim charge of the team. It didn’t change their form.
The club’s owners have accepted the team was having a disastrous season.
“We had a Spanish coach and Spanish players. We were champions in the first two editions out of three. The change in management did not work for us as we could not get our combination right,” former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, a coowner of the franchise said on Wednesday.
Injuries to key players, including Irishman Robbie Keane, have also hampered them, leaving them eighth in the standings with 12 points from 13 matches.
Mathamatically, ATK still have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs if they win their remaining five matches.
Kerala Blasters, under new coach David James, have managed successive wins on the back of four losses to keep their playoff hopes alive.
They beat Pune City FC 2- 1 in their last outing to be sixth with 20 points after 14 matches.
A third successive win will push Kerala into the top half of the table, increasing their chances of qualification.