ISL 2015: After three 1-0 defeats in a row, ATK are paying the price for lack of goalscorers

Antonio Habas cut a despondent figure on the touchline as Gustavo dos Santos celebrated his goal deep into stoppage time – the solitary goal which helped Delhi Dynamos jump to second place on the league standings. With three consecutive losses and just seven points off six matches, Atletico are looking down the proverbial rabbit hole. Habas has spoken time and again about finding the right balance in the squad and how one moment can change the course of the game, but Atletico have been on the wrong side of a 1-0 result in their last three matches. Barring the opposition, the games have followed a similar pattern for the defending champions. In spite of creating a flurry of goal-scoring chances, Habas’ men have failed to find the back of the net and conceded an easily avoidable goal owing to individual errors. [caption id=“attachment_2489070” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Iain Hume and Rino Anto of ATK react after third defeat in a row. Photo: ISL[/caption] It is hardly a secret that missing as many as four first-team players would heavily impact Atletico’s performances, but the fact that the defending champions have not come up with an alternative plan does not reflect well on the manager’s current tactical ideals or the club’s off-season plans regarding the squad set-up. Against Delhi Dynamos, Sameehg Doutie came in to replace the injured Javi Lara – the winger put in a lively performance between the channels but did not pose much of a goalscoring threat. Baljit Sahni was assigned a redefined role as well with the 28-year-old tasked with dropping deep into his own half to assist Borja Fernandez and Ofentse Nato. Atletico’s defensive shield have been guilty of crumbling against high-pressing opponents in past, but Sahni’s positioning helped nullify that against the Dynamos for nearly 90 mins in the match. Sahni’s deeper positioning, however, meant that Atletico were over-reliant on Iain Hume and Jaime Gavilan for offensive measures. Gavilan operated in the pockets of space left behind by Mulder and Chicao and Hume was as industrious as ever. But there was a distinct lack of support for these two in the final third, which proved costly in the end. In spite of Rino Anto’s overlapping manoeuvres on the right flank and Doutie’s attempts to slip in between Souvik Chatterjee and Anas Edathodika, Atletico sorely missed Javi Lara’s technical ability and Arata’s natural instincts. The absence of a poaching goal-scorer in the ranks reflected every time Atletico failed to attack the final ball in set-piece scenarios. When FirstPost asked Habas how he would rectify the lack of goals, the Atletico manager responded, “I don’t want to lie. It’s clear that we need a striker. It’s very, very clear for all. Today we didn’t have Arata, Lara and others. But we have to make do with the players we have in the squad. This is the situation and we have to solve the problem.” Atletico’s defensive unit has been error prone since the season opener against Chennaiyin FC. Against the Delhi Dynamos however, Amrinder Singh barely had to move for the first 75 minutes as the Atletico defence remained compact and aware. Roberto Carlos’ side had been particularly underwhelming for majority of the game. The absence of Sehnaj Singh at the crux of the midfield and subdued showings from Robin Singh and Richard Gadze all but cancelled out Florent Malouda’s efforts. The Frenchman was at his absolute best for Delhi in the first half, operating through the centre and setting up his team-mates in the danger zone. The arrival of Gustavo dos Santos added another dimension to Delhi’s gameplay as the 21-year-old’s raw pace helped him go past the Atletico defence. “I have to recover the mentality of the players because three losses in a row can affect the mentality”, said Habas. Injuries, a struggling defence, a toothless attack – Antonio Habas and Atletico de Kolkata have a host of issues to resolve before they face the on-song Mumbai City FC on Sunday. With a short recovery time and a devitalized squad, Atletico have a mountain to climb to qualify for the knock-outs.