Fans need to keep believing & we’re getting there, asserts Jamshedpur FC star Daniel Chima Chukwu in exclusive interview

The Jamshedpur FC forward also shared his thoughts on former coach Scott Cooper.

He had a disappointing start to his life in India and was on the verge of leaving. A call from a team that was in its building phase changed everything for Daniel Chima Chukwu in India. He not only won the prestigious Indian Super League (ISL) Shield with Jamshedpur FC but also became their all-time top scorer in the league. The club has been through thick and thin but the lethal striker stayed and is giving his all in every game to turn things around for his beloved club.  

In an exclusive interview with Khel Now, Daniel Chima Chukwu shed light on the tough time the club is going through, talked about former coach Scott Cooper and promised the fans a strong comeback. Below are the excerpts.

Time at Jamshedpur FC

Daniel Chima Chukwu joined Jamshedpur FC in the winter of ISL 2021-22 season after a disappointing first half at East Bengal. The Nigerian turned out to be the missing piece in Owen Coyle’s deck. He, along with Greg Stewart, guided the side to their maiden trophy. 

He recalled his time at the club, “My time at Jamshedpur FC has been amazing. I never had the reason to doubt the team since I joined. The journey has been really good so far.”

Since the last two seasons Jamshedpur FC has been struggling to get results in the league, to which Chukwu addressed, “The past two seasons haven’t really been going well for us. But that doesn’t mean we are not giving our best in every training and every game. And it can be seen in how we try to play the games. We are giving everything but for some reasons it’s not going as per our plans. Hopefully, it’s gonna come soon.”

Reasons for the goal drought

With 17 goals to his name in the Indian Super League, Daniel Chima Chukwu has earned himself a reputation to lead the attack. But this season he looked completely off-colour and performed in patches. The forward was asked whether frequent change in striking combinations affected his game or the lack of a number 10 in the squad to feed those penetrating balls has been the cause.

“The season gave me the chance to try out a few new players and see how I can adapt to their style of play and a new coaching style. So far, it hasn’t really affected me.  It’s just that it hasn’t really gone according to how we planned in the beginning.”

Talking about the missing playmaker in the team, he continued, “ If you see the games, in most of them we were getting close to the goal. We created enough chances, just that we hadn’t got the attempts on target which changed in the game against Hyderabad FC. So hopefully, we keep hitting the target and get more goals because goals get us winning.”

Win against Hyderabad FC

Despite going hard in training and playing good football in games, Jamshedpur FC could not carve out favoured results. It was frustrating for fans to accept the streak of losses just before the break. Following that, a 5-0 win against Hyderabad FC turned out to be the side’s biggest win (by goals) in the league.

The Nigerian also talked about the importance of that victory for them and the fans. He stated, “The win against Hyderabad FC with that goal margin is actually like a morale booster for the team and the players. It showed that what we have been actually working on has paid off for once. And we’ll have to continue in that same spirit and momentum.”

On his hat-trick 

The Nigerian targetman became the second only player to score a hat trick for Jamshedpur FC in the game against the Nizams. 

Talking about the moment, Chukwu recalled, “Funny enough, actually, I got to find out after the game that I was the second player to score a hat-trick in Jamshedpur which was so pleasant for me. But during the game, when I had the second goal I wasn’t thinking of the third goal. I think I got a chance and could’ve gone for the hat-trick but I decided to put it (for Manzorro).”

He continued, “All I was thinking about, first was to secure the win and convincingly. At the same, if I had a chance I would choose to score as many goals as I can. I was just focused on the team winning big and then the hat-trick (chance) came afterwards so I took it.”

On being asked if he felt like he pulled up a stunner with the bicycle kick goal he scored on the night, he answered, “For me it was like every other goal. At the moment the ball came to me, I felt like going for the bicycle kick was the best option. I just took it and it went in.”

About the youngsters at the club

Jamshedpur FC is reputed for grooming youngsters every season. Along with the trophy goals, the development of hard working young guns who have the potential to make it has always been a major goal for the club from Jharkhand. Daniel Chima Chukwu is among the senior most players in the camp and he was asked to comment on the lads. 

He opined, “I was the last person to join the training, so when I came I saw a set of quite young new players. They were really good in those training sessions and over time I have seen them really grow in the game. I don’t hesitate when I have the opportunity to tell them what they need to improve their game. All the youngsters are amazing here, the ones who haven’t got the chance to play are extremely working hard in training. Especially, Nikhil has gotten way better than last season, Sanan just needs more chances and playing time to get the confidence and he’s getting that.”

Thoughts on Laldinpuia

Laldinpuia has been a find for Jamshedpur FC not only for the performances but also for his maturity and approach towards the game. The defender has been a silent servant for the TATA owned club since the last three seasons. He was called up in important games under Owen Coyle and he delivered to earn his place in the starting eleven. The experienced striker has been a fan of his work ethics and shared his thoughts on him.

“Apart from the training and the game, he’s also an amazing person outside the pitch. I think you can never take that away from him, when somebody is naturally a good person and shows up in games and in anything the team does. He just focuses on his job. If he gets credit doing that, that’s fine and if he doesn’t it’s still fine for him. He has been very professional about his duty. He is a wonderful player and a top guy.” 

About Scott Cooper

Jamshedpur FC parted ways with Scott Cooper over non-alignment of vision and different opinions on future operations at the club. It was a short tenure for the manager, as it never happened before when Jamshedpur FC parted ways with the head coach mid-season.

Scott Cooper was seemingly harsh on players during conferences and repetitively talked about departures of players from the team. Daniel Chima Chukwu was asked to share his observation about the coach. He started with the answer to if Scott Cooper celebrated after the 5-0 victory,  “After the game (against Hyderabad) he came in and said well done but we need to focus on the next game. If he had celebrated, he probably would have done it with himself.”

He continued, “About being harsh, I think he is just doing his job. He is addressing the players in a way he thinks is best for them. He asks the players to give their all and perform well. That is what he has tried to accomplish ever since he got here.”

The season ahead

The first half of the footballing action in the league is done, and Jamshedpur FC find themselves at the 10th position on the table. But they still have 12 games in hand and potentially can pull up a heist for a top six finish. 

On the plan ahead, the big man asserted, “First thing first, we have games to go, so we just have  to focus on one game at a time and give it all we have. And hopefully, we’ll secure some victories and get some points. But for that we have to go one game at a time.”

Daniel Chima Chukwu concluded the interaction with a message for the fans that reads, “I would ask the fans to keep believing and never give up on us. We are doing everything we could from the training room to the matches. If we have to give our blood for them we’ll do that. They need to keep believing and we’re getting there.”

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