Owen Coyle left "surprised" by Stimac's India squad selection

Only two Jamshedpur FC players were named in the 38-member probables for the national camp.

Jamshedpur FC thrashed Odisha FC in a 5-1 victory, which ended the latter’s Indian Super League campaign on a low note. Owen Coyle’s men were dominant throughout the game and should have scored more, if luck had favored them a bit. Their talisman Greg Stewart assisted twice and hit the woodwork as many times on his return. Daniel Chima scored his first brace for the club. Jordan Murray, Ritwik Das and Ishan Pandita were other scorers on the night.

Happy with the victory, Jamshedpur FC boss Owen Coyle talked about the next big game against ATK Mohun Bagan and the 38-member probable squad for the national team camp announced on the same day.

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Beating Odisha FC

“It was a very deserving victory, but Odisha FC tried to make things difficult. They scored the first goal, a soft goal when we were looking very dominant and comfortable. But, at this level you can’t switch off for even a moment.”

“We should have scored more in the first half, considering the number of chances we created. The important thing is three points to get us in good position before the game against ATK (Mohun Bagan), which will be a huge one for both the clubs,” the tactician shared his thoughts on the win.

Ritwik Das & Daniel Chima Performance

Daniel Chima has been on fire since joining the Jamshedpur-based club and so has Ritwik Das. The coach was asked about the reason for their scoring streak.

“The simple reason is that they are very good players. They have the confidence and trust of the coach. They know their roles and responsibilities within the team. I prepare them for this. What I need is hunger and desire which they have,” Owen Coyle answered.

Achieving 40-point mark

Jamshedpur FC are the first team to earn 40 points this season and third in the league after ATK Mohun Bagan and defending champions Mumbai City.

“The 40 points mean we have won a potful of games. Last year, we finished on 27 and the year before the team had just five points from the last 10 games. This year and last year I got to bring the players that I wanted and those who fit in how I want to play. So, we have to continue doing that. Because what is behind us can’t affect what is ahead of us,” the manager commented.

National Team Selection

Indian national team coach Igor Stimac announced a 38-member probable squad for a preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming friendlies against Bahrain and Belaruslater this March. Strangely, the list included only two players from Jamshedpur FC (Narender Gahlot and Pronay Halder). The major missing name was Ishan Pandita, who scored the fifth goal for the side coming from the bench.

“That surprised me he was not in the probables. Jamshedpur is at top and we have only two players, Narender (Gehlot) and Pronay (Halder). Ishan Pandita is the most natural No. 9 in the league. There is Liston (Colaco) and Manvir (Singh) who are wide players. He scored two goals in a row and won us six points. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have been where we are,” the boss stated.

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“There are many other names like TP, Ritwik, Boris (Singh) and Jitendra (Singh), who has been the best Indian midfielder this season in the league. So, I definitely think 4-5 of my boys should have been there. But, I didn’t pick the squad, Igor did and it surprised me,” he continued.

Big game against ATK Mohun Bagan 

The last league game will decide the winners of the Shield, which includes Jamshedpur FC and ATK Mohun Bagan. Both the teams are yet to win the prestigious prize, with the latter coming close on two occasions in consecutive seasons. 

On the importance of the first position Owen Coyle shared,“It means everything to us, we have trained for it all season. We have the chance to finish in the No. 1 position as ATK (Mohun Bagan) do. But, we will do everything in our hands and will look to continue winning games. We have a big game coming up against ATK. So, we have to recover and get ready for the biggest game of the season,” The coach signed out.

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