ISL: What do Hyderabad FC and ATK Mohun Bagan need to do to reach the final?

State of play

Hyderabad FC lead ATK Mohun Bagan 3-1, a huge margin all things considered. Hyderabad's superbly drilled defence (second fewest goals conceded in the league stage) and potent offence (most goals scored in the league stage) make this quite the uphill task for Bagan.

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So what must Bagan do?

Attack. Attack. Attack. Do they have a choice?

What they can control, though, is the shape they take while going on the front foot. Juan Ferrando's team have at times looked a bit confused - never more so than the first two-thirds of the first leg. Take for instance Roy Krishna's starting position in that game; on the right flank. He may have run in behind Akash Mishra to score Bagan's lone goal of the semi, but for most of the match he remained an isolated figure, unable to do what he does best in the areas he creates maximum impact in.

Why would you take your best player and stick him in a position where he can't do the things that make him your best player? Sometimes, football is that simple. Once Krishna moved into the box toward the end of the match, Bagan's attacking threat increased manifold. It was no coincidence.

What also changed during that last period was the introduction of Manvir Singh. Before he came on, most of the attacking play had been channeled down the left, through Liston Colaco. While at first he had Nim Dorjee's number, the lack of an obvious running threat on the other flank allowed Hyderabad to overload that side of the defence and keep Colaco quiet. In the league stage, Colaco and Manvir top-scored for the club (8 and 6 goals, respectively) taking over the responsibility from Krishna, David Williams, and Hugo Boumous - all of whom struggled with form and fitness for most of the season.

While it's tempting to fall back on channeling play through a now-fit again Williams or Boumous, Ferrando might find it far more effective to trust the two players who've carried the team to the semifinals.

Speaking of Williams and Boumous, it would probably make sense (in terms of first XI balance) to play just one of them from the start. Williams' big game temperament probably gives him the edge here (especially since there's nothing to choose between them in terms of form), but whoever plays, must do so in a central area just behind Krishna. Isolating Krishna from Williams didn't really work in the first leg, and that ought to be one of the biggest lessons learned.

Behind them, Joni Kauko will continue to be a forceful driving presence and could be paired either with the bite of Deepak Tangri or the calm of Lenny Rodrigues. Considering Hyderabad are likely to sit back and absorb pressure (given the match situation), Lenny might be the better option considering his superior ball circulation ability.

This has to be a factor when considering the backline as well. It's always a risk breaking up your first choice centre-back pairing in a big match, especially against someone like the unstoppable Bart Ogbeche, but this is a risk Ferrando must take if he wants to build from the back. Only one of Tiri or Sandesh Jhingan ought to play - Carl McHugh has deputised capably often and Pritam Kotal is more than capable of doing a job there. Pushing Kotal inside would also allow Ferrando to play Prabir Das. The attack-minded fullback showcased how dangerous he can be once he came on in the first leg.

Ferrando's bench, meanwhile, is stocked to the rafters with attacking talent, and if the status quo remains in the second half, he could introduce Boumous (or Williams) and the young talent that is Kiyan Nassiri.

Nassiri has shown already that he isn't fazed by the big occasion (a hattrick in his first derby, come on) and has shown a rare calm when in tight spaces inside dangerous areas. He might well be the X-factor, so perhaps an earlier-than-usual introduction is merited.

Ideal XI the way we see it (4-2-3-1): Amrinder Singh (GK); Prabir Das, Pritam Kotal, Carl McHugh, Subashish Bose; Lenny Rodrigues, Joni Kauko; Manvir Singh, David Williams, Liston Colaco; Roy Krishna.

And what must Hyderabad do in return?

If you've won a massive game 3-1, you've done most things right.

Pushing Ogbeche to lead the line might be a sensible option - he is so dangerous, you want him as close to the opposition box as possible. Bagan will attack, and the running power of Aniket Jadhav and Mohammad Yasir will be of utmost importance. The trio need to be on their game because Hyderabad need to ensure they possess sufficient threat on the counter to prevent Bagan's galacticos from overwhelming their defensive third. Khassa Camara might be a good addition from the start, to shore up the spine of the side and free up Joao Victor to impact the game further up the field.

Ideal XI the way we see it (4-3-3): Laxmikant Kattimani (GK); Nim Dorjee, Sana Singh, Juanan, Akash Mishra; Joao Victor, Khassa Camara, Souvik Chakraborty; Mohammed Yasir, Bart Ogbeche, Aniket Jadhav