Sandesh Jhingan ended a long period of transfer speculation by joining ATK Mohun Bagan on Saturday. We seek to understand the reasoning behind the transfer, from both the player and the club perspective.
How did ATK do defensively last season?
Very good. They conceded just 16 goals in 18 league games, the second-best record in the division, behind Bengaluru’s 13. At first glance, they weren’t crying out for a defender.
So why go for Jhingan?
When fit, Jhingan is the best Indian center-back, a shoo-in for the starting eleven and a good leader at the rear. This, on an elementary level, works for a central defense that already has an established Indian presence in Pritam Kotal and Prabir Das. Add Subhashish Bose on the left and Tiri as the third center-back alongside Jhingan and that’s, on paper, the best defensive lineup in the league.
Jhingan’s presence also gives Habas the flexibility to deploy an all-Indian defense (Sumit Rathi instead of Tiri) without compromising experience and leadership, and launch all other foreign quotas on the attack.
Odds are a key factor here: in the AFC Cup, teams will only be able to play with 3 foreigners (+ one Asian), and this rule will apply nationally in the ISL from the 2021-22 season onwards. Signing Jhingan ensures that Habas doesn’t need to commit as much as he would have in an attack.
Another factor is the rotating cast that Kotal had alongside him in the middle of that defense last season: On the league stage, ATK played with the same endorsement three just 4 out of 18 times, with Kotal, Agus and Anas Edathodika. They played a more consistent baseline in the playoffs, but by then the names (and the style of play of those names) alongside Kotal were completely different: John Johnson and Sumit Rathi replacing Agus and Anas.
A fully fit Jhingan (and that fitness issue is still the biggest risk for ATK MB) provides solidity, the kind that can enhance good defenses.
Why is it a good move for Jhingan?
After a full year out of action, having the best clubs on earth lined up for a great deal would have been a huge confidence boost, and ATK Mohun Bagan seems like a pretty good option. He would go into a team whose defense is already fairly well ordered and play under a coach who has shown defensive acumen. Habas also does not require its centers to play behind, and that works in favor of Jhingan’s strengths.
Additionally, he will train with some of the best forwards in the division, a notch or two above his previous club in recent seasons. As legendary former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar recently commented, you are (generally) only as good as the people you train against.
Finally, the AFC Cup, which ATK MB will play this season, will also provide a tougher test for Jhingan than he would have had if he had chosen a club outside of his new employers, Bengaluru FC or FC Goa. For Jhingan, this is certainly an upward movement and a challenge that she would love.
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