Jamshedpur FC has the opportunity to avenge its loss against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) when the two teams clash in the Hero Super Cup quarterfinals in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
Jamshedpur, coached by Steve Coppell, defeated I-League champion Minerva Punjab in the round-of-16 . Despite possessing a fit team which is adequately rested, Coppell refrained from any bellicose rhetoric of ‘revenge’ and looked forward to trying “our level best” to win.
He said, “Revenge is not the right word which I should say. We just have another opportunity to try our level best and win tomorrow's game. We're here to progress in the tournament and we can accomplish that only by winning [Thursday’s] game.”
Team in ‘good shape’
He added, “We had a long time to recover from our last match and we are in a good shape physically. We're raring to give it a shot [on Thursday].”
Coppell felt his team should stick to its guns in terms of the style of play. He said, “According to me, the easiest thing is to say keeping the possession. But I would say, it’s tougher to keep the ball with you than chasing it. The team who has the ball need to work harder to keep the possession. We'll play to the best of our physicality and ability to perform.”
‘Continual learning process’
Midfielder Jerry Mawihmingthanga acknowledged the “learning process” he has benefitted from as a member of the team’s set-up. Thanking Coppell and the entire unit, he said, “I have learnt many a thing and have progressed a lot. I enjoy being here. It's a continual learning process and I absolutely love being here throughout.”
The team has earned respect from its prospective opposition FC Goa, which progressed to the quarterfinals via a defeat of 2016 ISL champion ATK . Pronay Halder, Goa’s midfielder, said, “They are a very good team and a good bunch of players are there in Jamshedpur. They're defensively very organised. But, we are also here to show our worth and what I strongly feel [is that] we are ready for the match.”
Goa’s coach Derrick Pereira was upbeat despite some injury concerns for him team. He said, “I can't say that we're missing any player [on Thursday]. But there a few niggles. We can the final call only [on Thursday]. The important part is that the team have regrouped well and they're working hard. The team is eager to put up a good performance and progress further to the semifinals.”
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