"Unbelievable decision by referee," blasts Stuart Baxter after loss

The Englishman explained the reasons behind his side's defeat to Jamshedpur FC on Monday.

It was yet another disappointing result for Odisha FC as they succumbed to Jamshedpur FC in a 1-0 defeat. Mobashir Rahman’s 41st minute goal was enough for the Men of Steel to earn the three points. The Juggernauts remain at the bottom of the Indian Super League table, with eight points from 14 games. Head coach Stuart Baxter spoke to the media after the defeat.

https://youtu.be/wV93eTl05pE

Reasons for defeat

On being asked if he blamed his team’s lack of creativity in the final third for the defeat, Stuart Baxter answered, “That’s about the last thing I would blame it on. I'll blame it on poor decision-making while defending. I'll blame it on not being brave enough in the build-up play. I would blame it on not keeping our balance and shape.

"But, I think once we got into the final third, our movement was quite good. As the game gets further and further into the 90 minutes, the level of nervousness goes up. So, you don’t play with the same precision, that’s also something. Lack of imagination in the final third, I would like to be able to criticize that, but I don’t think we were long enough in the final third to do that,” added the Englishman.

Error by referee

The former England U-19 manager was clearly not happy with some of the referee’s decisions. “An unbelievable decision by the referee to not give a penalty. We need one of those decisions to go our way. We've had loads that had gone against us. We've had I think 6-7 penalties given against us. So, we need one of those to go our way and maybe that will push us over the edge again.”

He further added, “One of my players will have to r*** someone or get r****d himself if he is going to get a penalty.”

Inman's Debut

Midfielder Bradden Inman made his debut for Odisha FC after arriving on loan from ATK Mohun Bagan. On being asked about the Australian’s performance, Stuart Baxter stated, “Difficult for Brad coming in with such little preparation. If we can get him on the ball in the right areas, I am sure he will be an asset. He needs to work a little harder to get on the ball once he knows what we want and we need to understand him a little bit better.”

Marcelinho's Departure

Odisha midfielder Marcelinho has been sent out on loan to ATK Mohun Bagan, where the Brazilian managed to get on the scoresheet against Kerala Blasters. On being asked if he was keeping an eye on the midfielder’s performances, the former South Africa national team manager replied, “I watched the game, obviously because we have ATKMB next up. Did I keep an eye on Marcelinho particularly? Not really. I know him quite well as a player. So, he didn’t do anything in the game that would surprise me. He scored a nice goal and I am sure he is happy where he is.”

Expectations from season

Odisha remain at the bottom of the table with six games left. On being asked about his expectations from the remaining encounters, the 64-year-old said, “ We are in every game. We haven’t played a team over the last 7-8 games that we have not been able to beat. We’ve run every team very close. Even tonight it could have been one of those 1-1 draws. We need to try and turn one of them into a win and see if that momentum will take us somewhere in the closing stages of the season.

"I don’t think that these lads are going to lie down. I won’t lie down. I'll get over this the way we’ve been getting over other results. I'll get back to work and we can promise the supporters of Odisha FC that we will give the rest of the season as good as we can," concluded Stuart Baxter.