The Gaffer talks about the team’s performance and what went wrong against Kerala Blasters. Owen Coyle also feels that FC Goa will be a tough challenge but it could be a game that could be won by the lads of Jamshedpur with the right approach.

Here are the excerpts from the interview.

On what went wrong against Kerala Blasters

After analyzing the game, we figured that we played well and have definitely improved in our journey so far. In the last season, Jamshedpur had only taken 5 points from 10 games but this season, we have already bagged 13 points out of the first 10 matches and the team knows that our current points should have been more than what we have at the moment. So the development has certainly happened which everyone has noticed in our previous games and we will continue to portray that in our fixtures. What we have to do now is keep working and improving as much as possible for the upcoming games. Unfortunately, against Kerala Blasters, we made a few individual errors which cost us the game as the opposition took full advantage of blunders we made. Kerala Blasters possess some very good quality players with an experienced coach, Kibu Vicuna, for who I have a lot of respect. We basically handed them the win and we have to make sure we eradicate such mistakes and continue to move forward while we keep improving because FC Goa are a very strong side to face. We just have to continue to work hard and work together to grow more as a team. We have a wonderful staff with a great set of players and we will do everything to get better in our performances.

On the long break being the reason for the loss against Kerala Blasters

We played a lot of games in a very short period of time and because of that, we got an extensive break between the two games which does disturb the rhythm of the team a little bit sometimes. But, we will not make any excuses as we did not play at our best. We have left that game in the past so that it does not affect our upcoming fixtures. What we can do right now is focus on the next 10 fixtures. We want to be in that top 4 spot as every club in the league wishes to be and we have to replicate our performance from the first leg of the league in most of the upcoming matches and if we manage to perform the same, then we have a real chance of securing a spot in the top 4. That is what we have to focus on moving forward and aim to improve in every match and when we do that, we will show that Jamshedpur is a very strong team.

On avenging the defeat against FC Goa in the re-match

It is not about avenging the defeat in the previous game. Everybody saw the game and noticed that we scored a perfect goal in the last few minutes of the game which was disallowed by the linesman referee for some reason. Even the penalty that we conceded was unjust as Alex Lima got his foot on the ball and not the opposition. But that being said, we cannot change the outcome of that game so what we can do is focus on the upcoming game. FC Goa have a very good coach with some terrific players in the squad and they play a style of football which they have played with for many years in the past. The club has shown multiple signs of progression in their games and full credits to them to maintain that intensity in the league. But we are fully aware of their strengths as well as their weaknesses and we have to make sure we put forth our best performance against FC Goa. If we play with the same intensity as we have played in the previous matches, then I think it will be a game that we can win and that is something we are fully focused on achieving. 

On if we will see a goal-rush anytime soon from Jamshedpur

Well, the most important goal is to grab the 3 points from a game. We still have a lot of progress to make and still lots of room for improvement because we are nowhere near where we want to be but that takes some time and patience. We want to build a strong foundation that stays around for a long time at the club and there is a clear vision for the club which we want to implement as soon as possible. Obviously, the more you work towards a goal, the better you get at achieving it. So, there will be a time where we will witness Jamshedpur scoring a ton of goals and I hope that happens because that will help us win games more easily. But what is more important at the moment is that we continue to develop and understand the process of growth well.

On the updates on existing or new injuries in the squad

Obviously, the injuries have been a massive hindrance for the club this season as we have not had the full squad available for the main games. At times, we have had 5 to 6 players missing from the squad. We even had a couple of players missing from the squad last game and we have 1 or 2 players that will have to continue playing despite their pain because that is what it means for them to play for Jamshedpur FC. They have shown tremendous spirit and the men want to wear that jersey to every game with immense pride. So, we will bring in the best players we have available to make sure we are performing at our best and try to win a difficult game against FC Goa.