Aidy Boothroyd: Any team could have won or lost this game

The Jamshedpur FC head coach also revealed why Ishan Pandita is not playing.

Last year’s shield winners Jamshedpur FC, find themselves in a dire position this season, as they are already out of the race for the shield, and also won’t make it to the top-six under any circumstances. Though their ISL season is practically over, Aidy Boothroyd’s men are still putting their 100%, and are fighting for their fare share of dignity.

Against ATK Mohun Bagan as well, Jamshedpur were top-notch, and dominated the game. The Men of steel were not only defensively solid, but were also superior when it came to attack. Though they were unfortunate to not have taken their chances, Jamshedpur FC should be really happy with their performance, and take a lot of inspiration from the game.

After the game, Jamshedpur FC’s head coach Aidy Boothroyd spoke to the media. This is what he had to say.

Aidy’s views on the game

After an exciting 0-0 stalemate, Jamshedpur were somewhat disappointed as they could have registered a win by capitalizing on their chances. Nevertheless, they can be delighted with their performance, and take a lot of positives from this game.

When asked about his views on the game, Aidy Boothroyd said:

“Well, I thought it was one of the best nil nil draws I have ever seen. It was very attacking football from both teams. I think whilst ATKMB had a period in the game, I thought that we were very strong and organised, and we probably had three of the best chances in the game as well. They would've had shots on target, but those were from further out, whereas we were right inside the six-yard box missing chances. The last minute at the end, Daniel Chima is out where he's just opened it up, and I'm waiting for the net to ripple but it doesn't and then the one in the first half where Daniel tried to pass it around than shoot, he's a very unselfish player, but sometimes I'm pulling my hair out because I want him to shoot.”

He added, “I think it was an even game and any team could've won it or lost it. But if we had taken our chances in the key times, we really should've won the game. I'm really pleased about another clean-sheet.”

Why has Ishan Pandita not been playing recently

After failing to make it to the starting XI on several occasions, Aidy Boothroyd was asked if there was some issue regarding Ishan’s situation. He replied to the same by saying:

“Oh no, no problem at all. I've given Ishan six starts, which is more than any other manager has given him, and he's don't okay, and I like him, but unfortunately for him, he's got six players ahead of him at the moment, but I've got no problem with him.”

Plans on Super Cup and improvement of the team

With the forthcoming Super Cup, Jamshedpur FC have something exciting to look forward to, and have a shot at doing well in the competition. When asked about what were the areas in which his team can improve, Aidy mentioned:

"The first thing is that we have started to keep clean sheets, which is really good. The second thing is, statistically we create more chances than probably three quarters of the teams in this league. We don't convert creativity, so that's going to be an area we would be working on. I think we are a couple of players short of where we need to get to, but I'm very excited, and I don't want the season to end."