Need to put team first & set common ambition: Alen Stevanovic

Alen Stevanovic also spoke about the chat he had with Jamshedpur FC boss Scott Cooper.

Let's take a step back. It's January 2010. Inter Milan are playing against Siena. With 23 minutes of regulation time left on the clock, Jose Mourinho — then Inter manager — calls out a young lad, hardly 19, and hands him his senior team debut. Now cut to future. It's Jamshedpur FC's first game, a 32-year-old winger cuts inside from the left and curls the ball into the net.

How fascinating these two scenarios are, right? Well, they are of the same and one player - Alen Stevanovic. On July 17, Jamshedpur FC made a top announcement, where they involved former Manchester United and Serbian midfield maestro Nemanja Matic, to declare the arrival of Stevanovic.

Just what the doctor ordered? may be! With Scott Cooper taking charge, this might be just the beginning of some 'big' things at Jamshedpur FC. Khel Now had the privilege to get an exclusive interview from the 32-year-old. Excerpts are below.

Chat with Scott Cooper

Before joining Jamshedpur FC or rather nodding to a deal with the TATA-owned club, what exactly was the conversation Alen Stevanovic had with Scott Cooper? The winger revealed, "Before we conversed, I had already heard about the great and successful job he did in the past. And then we had the conversation and I immediately recognised that he is a very prepared, hard-working and ambitious manager."

He added, "That was very important for me because in most of the clubs I played, we fought to be champions and topping the table. After that chat, it was easy for me to take the decision and join Jamshedpur FC. I'm very excited and can't wait to start working with him."

What challenges are you expecting?

As soon as Alen Stevanovic arrives in India, he'll be introduced to a mountain-like challenge — winning the Indian Super League. However, there will be certain obstacles from day one which need to be flung out of the window to achieve success.

The winger says, "Challenge? We want to work hard and try and win each and every game. I believe the field is the only yardstick and we want to replicate our hard work on the pitch."

Turning the tables this time

The previous season was not worth remembering for the Men of Steel. Just a season back they had lifted the ISL Shield. But last season, they fumbled and ended 10th or to be accurate, second-last in the ISL standings.

When asked about how he plans to turn the tables, Stevanovic stated, "Yes, I have seen the results from last season. But that is past. First of all, we need to be in full availability for our coach and staff. We need to put the team first and set a common ambition."

"Starting from training, we need to work hard, be determined, push each other and support in every single session. We have to work with ambition and energy and if we do that, we will undoubtedly build a great chemistry in the dressing room and deliver top results," he concluded.