Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle addressed the media ahead of their game against Hyderabad FC tonight at the GMC Athletic Stadium from 7:30 PM.
Jamshedpur FC are in the second spot in the league table. Owen spoke about what it will take to continue being here and pursue the top spot of the Indian Super League.
“It will take more of the same, the hard work and the way we have performed in the field so far. We have to continue to replicate maintaining that standard. If we do that we will continue to show that we can stand toe to toe with any team. So hopefully, we can proceed in that way, but we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, and we are looking forward to that“
The match against Hyderabad FC is a six-pointer and a fixture Jamshedpur FC have never lost. However, that also includes back-to-back draws. Owen shared his opinion about what it will take to beat them.
“It will take us being at our very best. Hyderabad is one of the top teams in the league with top players. They have an outstanding coach, Manolo Marquez, for whom I have very high regard not just for his ability as a head coach but also because he is a wonderful human being.
“Like me, he has operated at a high level with a touch of class. I admire him and I learn a lot from him. All his qualities and philosophy have been instilled in his team and players. We have to be at our very best against very good opponents. So they get our utmost respect from my side but they also know that Jamshedpur are a very good team and it will be a tough game.”
Jamshedpur FC will face Hyderabad FC after back-to-back wins against Northeast United and SC East Bengal. Coyle spoke about how does momentum helps the team in gaining confidence.
“When you win any game it helps your confidence. Sometimes we play better but we don’t win although we should have won it. Back-to-back wins have brought us where we wanted to be with six points and given us confidence and body language. We are feeling good about ourselves, then, of course, we want to continue winning the upcoming games. But we know each opponent is a tough opponent in the ISL.”
Owen has previously said that he would develop Ishan Pandita as one of the top strikers in India for the national team. He has scored in two consecutive matches. Owen explained if it’s possible to make a case for Ishan to return to the starting lineup.
“In every game, Ishan is in my mind, doesn’t matter whether he starts the game or not. Yes, I did mention him making the national team but first and foremost, he has to be an outstanding player for Jamshedpur FC which he is showing, and of course, we have the quality with Jordan Murray and now Chima as well.
“Ishan is a wonderful player with different qualities and he adds to our attacking power. They are all fantastic strikers in their all right, but Ishan has to continue to bring his very best by working hard in training as he does. He is a wonderful lad, a quick learner, and such a young humble man, if he can continue to do that in the long term for Jamshedpur and the Indian national team, it will be good.”
Chima comes with a glorious record having scored a lot of goals in his career. He had a little bit of struggle with SC East Bengal. Owen spoke about the factors that made him bring him on board.
“I feel every time Chima played for SC East Bengal, he was very good. Unfortunately, what happens in this league is, people judge strikers based on their goals scoring record, and forms. This is not the case as different players have different attributes, Chima is fantastic in receiving and holding the ball. In his last club, he played alone upfront, so it was difficult for him to do everything by himself.
“He is a wonderful player and has played at a very high level. I have seen a lot of great qualities in him and I have never thought of the fact that he scored only 2 goals here. For example, Valskis also scored 2 goals this season but it doesn’t make him a bad player. We all know how Nerijus has been in the past seasons and like Chima, he is a wonderful player. I feel Chima will add a lot to the team.”
Owen gave updates on the injury concerns for the team or if there is any player who is unavailable.
“Yeah, of course, Komal continues recovering from his injury and he was not available to train with the squad. As a strange matter though, none of us have trained for the past six days, obviously because of the precautionary measures taken concerning Covid. That is something we have to be wary of. We have not been allowed onto the training field. So, my worry will always be players and their welfare in terms of injuries. That’s a huge concern for me. When you train, you are in good condition to play the game and it’s important to avoid injuries.
“The following day after the game against SC East Bengal, we did our recovery session together and the next day was a day off. On the day off, we had one or two high temperatures, so with that in mind, as a club, we put ourselves into soft quarantine as a precaution and it was stricter rules from there. That being said we have to make sure when the game comes up, we are at our very best to win a very tough game.”
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