Football often produces some of the best underdog stories. In Indian football, the success story of Aizawl stands out as an important example, with the club from Meghalaya winning the I-League title, the then-top division in the country, in 2017.
The head coach of that side, Khalid Jamil, is now in charge of another underdog, that clinched its maiden Indian Super League shield in 2022 – Jamshedpur FC.
Jamil, who took over the Men of Steel, late last year, steered the team to the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 semifinal but missed out on a play-off spot in the ISL.
Moreover, this summer, it lost one of its most important players from last season, Jeremy Manzorro, who moved to Mumbai City FC.
Instead, it roped in Javi Hernandez on a free transfer, a veteran in the league, having won the ISL Cup with ATK and the Durand Cup with Bengaluru FC. He has 24 goals and 16 assists across four ISL clubs (ATK, ATK Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC).
But at 35, four years older than Manzorro, Jamil might find it a challenge to fit it the pieces of his puzzle in the midfield.
On the other hand, the club re-signed Jordan Murray, who had won the Shield during his previous stint, as a replacement for Daniel Chima Chukwu.
Murray, 28, is a younger and faster forward than the Nigerian and Jamil will be banking on the Aussie’s chemistry to come good with Javier Siverio in the final third.
Jamil – the talisman of underdogs
Jamil is a coach who gets the best out of limited resources.
While the highlight of his career is the I-League title with Aizawl, he helped NorthEast United steady its ship in the 2020-21 season after its coach was fired mid-season, helping the team to the semifinal.
He helped Mumbai FC remain in the top-flight (I-League) for seven consecutive seasons with limited financial resources and even at Jamshedpur last season, he helped the team pose a serious challenge in the Super Cup after the side parted ways with coach Steve Cooper.
Jamil prefers high-pressing football and his training sessions are usually extensive for the same reason.
But his teams’ usual avenues of attack have been through flanks, with Imran Khan and Mohammed Sanan being his trusted generals for JFC last season. This season, Aniket Jadhav might be employed in one of those roles.
Though Jamil’s most preferred formation is 4-2-3-1, his approach has been that of a dynamic strategist with JFC, shifting from a 4-3-3, 4-4-1-1 to a 4-4-2 across the 2023-24 season.
Jamil’s high press, despite keeping the opponent’s defence on its feet for most of the game, often comes at a cost – fatigue. And JFC will have to find ways to tackle that, with the team signing two young full-backs, Shubham Sarangi and Nikhil Barla this summer.
But the biggest challenge for the coach will be to stitch together a team that could last a full season without injuries.
At NorthEast United, his stint was derailed after forward Asamoah Gyan’s injury while Komal Thatal and Ritwik Das’s injuries dented JFC’s playoff hopes last season.
Expected finish - Seventh
While JFC features some proven winners of ISL, it still lacks quality as compared to the other big teams of the league, such as Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mumbai City, Kerala Blasters and FC Goa.
Secondly, some teams doing their pre-season out of India, against foreign clubs – Mumbai City and Kerala Blasters in Thailand – can also have a difference in preparations over a relatively small club like JFC.
But given Jamil’s credentials with teams which are low-profile on paper, JFC’s fans can expect a stiff fight from the club.
Players to watch out for
Jordan Murray
Murray was one of the most important players for Chennaiyin FC as the Marina Machans qualified for the ISL knockouts after four years. He scored seven goals and assisted four more and will be JFC’s answer in its pursuit of an off-the-ball workhorse
Murray had won the ISL Shield, his first silverware in India, in his previous stint at JFC and both, the club and the player, will hope history repeats itself this time around.
Stephen Eze
Eze, a Nigeria international, returned to his former club after a stint in Vietnam and international exposure will be key in him manning the defence for JFC.
A younger replacement to Elsinho, Eze was one of the foundations of JFC’s defence under Owen Coyle but left the season a year before it won the Shield. On his return, he will look to complete his task and win his maiden trophy in India.
Secondly, his massive frame of 194 cm makes him an appropriate target for set-pieces, with the centre-back scoring four goals in his previous spell at the club.
Transfer rating – 7/10
READ | Full list of ins and outs in Indian Super League
Jamshedpur FC has made some important signings at the back, bringing in Eze and Lazar Cirkovic, as well as a proven goal-scorer in Murray. But the team was created around Manzorro, who left for Mumbai City, and was replaced by an older replacement, Javi Hernandez.
It brought in Aniket Jadhav and Ashutosh Mehta -- the former played barely 600 minutes (about seven games) last season and the latter was banned for doping for two years. While Aniket, 24, still has time to prove himself, Ashutosh, 33, might prove to be a liability for Khalid Jamil’s side.
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