Satisfied with performance but disappointed with result: Jamshedpur FC head coach Scott Cooper

Jamshedpur FC have only conceded one goal so far this season

In their 5th fixture of the season, Jamshedpur is set to travel to Guwahati, to fight NorthEast United FC as they are being touted as one of the teams to watch this season. Despite having only gathered 5 points in their first four games, Jamshedpur FC has proven to be the best defensive side in the Indian Super League (ISL) while struggling offensively, having conceded just one goal and scored only one themselves.

The Men of Steel are eager to see their offensive prowess improve, especially after making two promising acquisitions in Alen Stevanovic and Steve Ambri. The head coach of Jamshedpur Scott Cooper expressed his thoughts in a media briefing before the upcoming game, and here are the key points from his remarks.

On the Punjab FC game

Scott Cooper spoke about the goalless draw against Punjab FC and said, “ Sometimes when you look at a goalless draw you have to say are we creating chances? And the answer is we created many, many chances. So I would say we're satisfied with the performance but disappointed with the result because we should have won, especially the last game as many chances were created. “

On Managing Indian and Foreign players

Speaking on the topic of managing Indian and Foreign players, Scott Cooper made an interesting observation that in Asian Leagues teams should be built around domestic players. He quoted the example of his experience with Buriram United saying,  “If you're a coach of any team in Asia, you know that any team you put out is a minimum of 70% local players.

"If you don't prioritize the local players, you're going to be in big trouble. If you plan your team around foreign players, you will fail. There's been times when we've had only three foreign players on the pitch. I mean I was in the (Asian)Champions League quarter finals with Buriram United with two foreigners on the pitch.”

He further went on, “ You've got a priority to put relevance and importance on your local players. You also have a responsibility to develop young players. As a coach you have to win games but there's a certain responsibility as well to the country you serve and work for, to develop young players.

"Fans love local players coming through. They love young players coming through. So foreign players are there to give something different or special in certain areas but the team is knitted together by the domestic players. That's always been my belief and philosophy and that would never change. “

On scouting young Indian players and role of TFA

During the press conference, Scott was asked to convey his thoughts on scouting Indian talents. He cited the example of Tata Football academy and mentioned , “It's difficult for me to say because I've not spent much time in India. I can only take a look at other countries like Thailand or the Philippines where I've been and I can only take a look at our football academy, Tata Football Academy, which is steeped in tradition and has a great background. What I would say is football academies are the bloodline and the foundation of any football country's tradition and future. You have no future if you don't have academies.”

Furthermore, he professed, “Tata Football Academy has a great tradition but it still, in the last few years, hasn't developed any key players and we need to do that as well. So I think if every club took care of their academy to a high level, you would see a ten-year progress that would be clear, relevant, and evident, and the country would succeed. India's got a love for football. The participation levels are probably higher than anywhere else in the world or Asia.”