Have more confidence in Indian coaches, says Khalid Jamil

The Highlanders' interim head coach spoke to the media after his team lost to ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL semi-final second leg.

NorthEast United’s fairy tale run came to an end on Tuesday as they succumbed to a 1-2 defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan in the second leg of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 semi-final. David Williams scored the first goal of the game for the Mariners in the 38th minute while Manvir doubled their lead in the 68th minute. Khalid Jamil and his men later managed to pull one back through VP Suhair but eventually failed to find an equalizer.

The win for ATK Mohun Bagan means that they will now face Mumbai City FC in the ISL final. After the match, Khalid Jamil, who is the Highlanders' interim head coach, spoke to the media and reflected on the result.

Miscommunication in the first half

ATK Mohun Bagan were completely dominant in the first half. On being asked if his team were disrupted by the opposition’s aggressive approach, Khalid Jamil stated, “In the first half, they (ATKMB) played very well. I think there was a miscommunication between our players. But afterwards, when we went to the dressing room we solved the problem. Hence, in the second half, we played better. We got our chances.

"I am proud of the players, they worked very hard," he further added.

Team talk at half-time

https://youtu.be/SzjMbkla5x4

When asked about his message to his players at half-time, the former Mohun Bagan manager said, “When we were inside the dressing room, there were many complaints about how we are going to play. We had decided on one plan but then they played differently. I hence told them to think about one plan only. We had to stick to that plan.

"So I told them to keep patience, that we are going to put another striker and that we are going to play an attacking game. We did it too but unfortunately, we lost the match 2-1," the 43-year-old explained.

On Machado's penalty miss

NorthEast United had a golden opportunity to equalize when they won a penalty in the 80th minute. Luis Machado’s attempt, however, flew over the bar. “I don’t have anything to say about it. Sometimes it happens with the players. Sometimes they score, sometimes they miss. But I just want to tell them to not give up, and to keep trying instead," Jamil said when reminded about the incident.

Capable Indian coaches

When asked if his success laid the foundations for other Indian coaches, the former Aizawl FC manager stated, “As I said, you must give confidence to Indian coaches.

"The foreigners who come to coach the teams are good. However, the Indian coaches are also capable enough. Like you see in ATKMB, I think they have two of the best Indian coaches, Coach Sanjay and Derek D’Souza. In India, we have many good coaches. They only need a chance so that they can prove themselves," he further added.

On his future

As mentioned earlier, Khalid Jamil is currently the interim head coach of NorthEast United. “Lately my thoughts have been about this season only, and I am just finished with it. Let’s see," he signed off with a statement on his future.