Scott Cooper: Hope to start moving at faster pace in terms of collection of points

Striker Chima also shared his feelings of becoming Jamshedpur FC’s top goal scorer.

Jamshedpur FC will take on shaky Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Men of Steel are coming off a lucky draw against Chennaiyin FC after four consecutive losses. The team has just one win in nine games and is currently sitting at the tenth position.

They will now look to return to winning ways on Saturday before it’s too late. Ahead of the match, Jamshedpur FC’s head coach Scott Cooper and striker Daniel Chima addressed the media and shared their thoughts.

Facing Bengaluru FC with a new coach

Bengaluru FC sacked Simon Grayson after 4-0 defeat to the Islanders. In the following game they lost 2-0 under caretaker manager Renedy Singh. This game will mark the debut of Gerard Zaragoza as the Blues’ manager. The coach was asked whether the game will be an easy one after an array of tough fixtures for the team.

Scott asserted, “It’s difficult to prepare against the current Bengaluru because normally you’re preparing for a formation, patterns of play, or set pieces. But when a coach leaves and a caretaker coach comes in, and then ultimately a new coach is going to be there, you don’t know what to expect. We know who they are, and what they do. And so, it’s difficult to prepare against them. There is no science for what they’re going to do as a team.”

Converting the chances

The Men of Steel have struggled to find the back of the net this season. What’s even more disappointing is that they had a plethora of chances. The fans are furious with the team’s inability to convert good plays into goals. 

Addressing the concern the manager remarked, “There’s Chima here today who can answer for himself as well. We’re creating chances but sometimes it’s also about the dynamic of what those chances are, where they are, who they fall to. So while we’re looking at chances, we’re having to look at the quality of the chances and the other options.”

“As a coach, I’m not worried in a sense because we are creating chances. Maybe we can convert more chances but as a team, nobody’s run right through us. We’ve never gone away from what our philosophy is. We are a developing team that I expect to get better and better. It’s not a sprint. You’ve got to keep in touch and distance but we hope to start moving at a faster pace in terms of collection of points,” he continued.

Chima Chukwu’s comments

On becoming club’s top scorer

“This is my third season and every fan has been nice to me. For me, it’s my job to score goals, and having the title of the club-recorded goal scorer is a privilege and honour. I just need to work on the game plan and more goals coming in,” asserted the player on being the club’s top scorer.

On tomorrow’s match

Daniel Chima scored the equaliser against Chennaiyin FC in the last game making a comeback in the last minute. The draw ended their losing streak and gave them the confidence for the crucial upcoming game. 

Speaking about the match he said, “ Tomorrow the game is not going to be easy. We need to stick to the game plan and hopefully, we will be the better side, and being victorious will be very good for the team. The comeback from the previous game showed us what we are capable of. All we just need to do is keep the spirits high and the momentum going. We just need to go for the win. 

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