| ISL through the Habas years, from Pires to Petratos  Antonio Lopez Habas after winning the league shield in 2023-24. (Source: Samir Jana / HT) The tifo was unfurled not far from the Mohun Bagan Super Giant dugout and around the time Antonio Lopez Habas entered the arena, arms raised, to a roar. “Continuing legacy and passing the baton,” it said in capital letters above an image of Jose Barreto, Edeh Chidi, Sony Norde and Dimitri Petratos, forwards for whom the green-and-maroon shirt is more than that. Known to steer conversations on football towards Real Madrid, Habas would understand how a club in Kolkata can accept players from countries as disparate as Brazil, Nigeria, Haiti and Australia as its own. Even in the somewhat santised world of the Indian Super League (ISL), where training is usually behind closed doors and players-supporter interaction far less than when Mohun Bagan did not have SG as suffix, some players find a way to the fan’s heart. Dimi the fans’ favourite Through impromptu kickabouts with children and being part of the club’s regulated reach-out attempts, Petratos is such a player. Of course, 10 goals and seven assists in the season go a long way in helping him be the darling of fans. Especially if that comes with a never-give-up attitude that Petratos has shown in spades after helping ATK Mohun Bagan win the ISL trophy in 2022-23. They can do that again on Saturday. Still smarting from losing the league shield and having roared back to tame FC Goa, Mumbai City FC will have other ideas. It should be an intense final between teams that have pulled ahead in the league. As per OptaJeev, no team has a better goal differential between xG and goals scored than Mohun Bagan but Mumbai City FC have the best xG value. So, take your pick. Ill for some time this term –assistant Manuel Cascallana again stepped in admirably – Habas is the closest to a constant in a competition that has turned 10. He has seen it from when it was a two-month tournament, a disrupter it was then called, to what it is now. From when Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) was a curiosity, and Atletico Madrid’s sister club, that drew 60,000, maybe more, to Salt Lake stadium to when Mohun Bagan’s nearly 135-year history pulls that many. He has seen the force of fans’ anger, like at Hull City in 2015, at ATK being merged with Mohun Bagan and felt the power of their love when that changed in 2023. The more things change…  Habas is a firm fan favourite (Source: X) When Habas won the first ISL in 2014, six foreigners were allowed in the line-up. Even as he pitched for that to continue, he threw Mohammed Rafique into the mix for a late winner in 2014 and groomed Sumit Rathi into winning the award for the emerging player in 2019-20. This term, he has helped 21-year-old Dippendu Biswas grow as centre-back and used Abhishek Suryavanshi, 23, in central midfield caring a fig for his lack of experience. The number of foreigners allowed now is four and Habas is one match away from winning his third ISL trophy. No one has won that many and no one has played five finals which is what it will be for the 66-year-old come Saturday. “I think my time in Kolkata has been a love story from the first day,” he has said. In 2014, play-off matches, like Odisha FC, was an idea whose time had not come. At 41, Robert Pires was a marquee player with whom Habas allegedly had a bust-up. The average age of imports has come down sharply as ISL mutated into a longer competition. Petratos is 31, his mate in the front third Jason Cummings 28. From helming a team that scored 16 goals in 14 league games and none in two legs of the semi-final in 2014, Habas is now in charge of a side that has scored 50 in 24. Known for 1-0 wins in 2019-20, Habas has said he prefers a 4-3 victory now. He remains animated on the touchline and talks of the need for referees to be fair but, in the same sentence, speaks about the importance of players keeping their heads. (Here’s looking at you Armando Sadiku). Habas 3.0 is less crusty than his earlier avatar when he served a ban that spilled from 2015 to 2016. The more they remain the same  From Jose Barreto to Dimitri Petratos, a fans’ tribute (Source: X) Barring the blip of a mid-season sacking at FC Pune City, Habas has spent all his time in ISL with the same owners even as the club transformed from ATK to ATK Mohun Bagan and then Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The change of heart about the scoreline notwithstanding, his teams play the same way as they did in 2014: wingbacks, a central mid who can keep it together defensively and occasionally aid the attack (read: Borja Fernandez, Carl McHugh, Joni Kauko) and forwards who eschew flair for efficiency. One of the first things he did on taking charge in January was replace Hugo Boumous, still with the most assists in ISL history, with Kauko. Mohun Bagan have lost only twice in 14 ISL games since. They had lost three on the bounce before that. If there is one thing that doesn’t fit the Habas mould, it is accommodating Anirudh Thapa closer to the opposition goal. Kauko being able to drop deep has helped as has Thapa’s work rate and the India midfielder is finally showing Mohun Bagan that the expensive long-term deal may well be worth it. In a 34-year coaching career, Habas has come close to winning the South African league with Mamelodi Sundowns, taken Bolivia to Copa America, succeeded Claudio Ranieri as interim head coach at Valencia and staved off relegation at Celta. But it wasn’t till he had become a grandfather that he started winning trophies regularly. Understandable that he would want to make up for lost time. | 
