Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
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Jamshedpur FC created history once again as they went on to lift the prestigious ISL League Shield and ended their league stage campaign being on top of the table with a record breaking 43 points in the bag.
After adding the first silverware into the club’s trophy cabinet, the Gaffer shared his feelings on being the top team in the country, what this historic night means for the fans and Jamshedpur city and the team’s approach going into the semifinals now.
On the incredible feeling that everyone in the club is going through right now…
Yeah, I am absolutely delighted for everyone in the club – our supporters and our owners. Everybody cares so much about Jamshedpur and as a Head Coach, it’s important that when you’re at a club, then you give everything you can for the club, which I’ve done. I’ve also loved the two years working with everybody here at Jamshedpur FC. It’s great to get the Shield at the end because we fully deserved it and we totally earned this for us after the work we have done. We had to win 10 of our last 11 games to get to this stage and we actually did very well till the very end. We had got 13 points from nine games in our first half of the season and then I thought to myself that maybe we can finish in the top four in this season. We changed things up in January, brought Daniel Chima in and freshened things up to get them all together. I think that we have the best defensive record and we are also one of the highest goal scoring clubs in the season. So, at both ends, we have proven ourselves to be the top team and we’ve earned the spot of the best team in the country. To end the league stage with 43 points is another record as well which is incredible. So, all credit to the players, they worked their socks off, particularly the Indian players and when I see the improvement in their game then, of course, it gives you a source of satisfaction. I’m delighted and pleased for everyone and very tired at the same time.
On Ritwik playing his role in accordance with the club’s needs…
All the players know the roles and responsibilities that they have within the team. It’s very clear and we define the responsibilities of each player within the team and the demands come from setting those standards. I am not going to let them off because when I see improvement in a player and see them climbing up the growth ladder, then I don’t want to see them fall back down to the bottom. We’ve kept striving to get to that top of the ladder and that’s the demands that are put on them. We want them to play at a high level, high intensity and be consistent. The fitness level we have in our players is incredible despite having all sorts of injuries within our squad and other trials and tribulations as Mobashir Rahman missed this crucial game tonight due to suspension. I feel it was a bit too harsh on Mobashir by the official to have him sent off even though it was a 50/50 challenge by both players that were part of the entanglement. On the other hand, Jitendra and Boris Singh came back to the pitch after recovering from their injuries but we had to take Boris off as we felt the same niggle but the other lads stepped in and did well. Sandip Mandi got some more minutes today and even Jordan Murray came into the game even though he’s not at his 100% yet but when he is, he is an exceptional striker. Chima and Greg have been unstoppable on the front end while our backline has also been solid at the same time. I cannot praise all the lads highly enough and the demands are that we keep striving to be the best that we can be, knowing your job within the team, which is very evident in our squad as everyone knows what their jobs in the club are and when they have to do it. We always stick together and move forward as well as a team.
On registering an unbeaten streak with 7 back-to-back wins in a row…
This shows that we have an insatiable appetite to win games, the desire and the fire in our stomach which gets us going every morning to be the best we can be and of course, when we start to win games, then the positive momentum and confidence builds up. We know we have wonderful players on our side and even when the game gets tight, we know we’ll get a goal for our side because of the quality we possess in our squad. Everyone in the attacking front has been sensational and we are also thinking of Farukh Choudhary and Komal Thatal who missed out on this important achievement and they’re also a big part of this club. So, we know what our job is, we push to keep winning games and build that momentum to go on unbeaten runs. I have done it before when I took Chennaiyin FC from the bottom to the top of the table and into the finals, which on any other day was a game we would have won. But it has been an amazing experience and I have loved my time in India while enjoying every moment of it which includes all the games that we’ve been able to win.
On the kind post-match gesture shown by the ATK Mohun Bagan players…
I have nothing but praise for ATK Mohun Bagan. Form is temporary in football as sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I’ve been on both sides of a situation like this myself. But the one thing that was very evident tonight was the genuine class shown by the Mariners’ that’s led by coach Juan Ferrando. He’s an outstanding coach and he’s going to have lots of success in the near future. We’ve seen how well he has led ATK Mohun Bagan in this season so far. We knew this was going to be a challenging game and every moment they challenged us in different ways with the wonderful players they’ve got. But that was a genuine touch of class when they remained at the end to congratulate our team. They even stayed longer than probably anybody else would have and a big thank you to them for that. They’re going to be a big danger for anybody in the playoffs now because ATK Mohun Bagan is a top team in the country currently. They’ve been on a good run and they’ll pick themselves up to go again. They were a major threat to us all along and they tested us at various moments in the game tonight but they genuinely showed a pure act of class and we very much appreciate this gesture from them.
On what it means to the fans and the city of Jamshedpur to achieve this feat…
I have been to the Furnace filled with fans when I was the Head Coach of Chennaiyin FC and that was my first game in India. I saw what it meant for the fans to see their team play well and the pitch was beautiful and it felt like I was in a sold out Wembley Stadium as the fans kept pushing their team to win the game. So I am well aware of what it means to the fans but unfortunately the pandemic prevented us from playing in front of our lovely fans. But it’s for the fans that we give our best and win as we want to see a big smile on their faces when we see them. We want to thank the fans for their constant support and keep those lovely messages coming through the social media platforms to let all our players know the fans are backing them at all times. We know we may not be the biggest club in the league but we know the players we put together and worked towards reaching this platform. We shortlisted our players who had a lot of potential and were not getting game time in their previous club, brought them in and helped them improve their game even more along with the cooperation of the players themselves. The players are the ones who should be getting all the credits as they are the ones who step up on the pitch, deliver stunning performances and work hard on a daily basis. I am extremely delighted for everyone in Jharkhand and hoping that his achievement puts Jamshedpur on the map. Long may this continue!
On playing Kerala Blasters in the semifinals next…
We have very tough games against a wonderful side who have an outstanding coach. I have so much fun on a personal level with Ivan and we’ve got on really well. We’ve played against each other twice in the pre-season and we’ve spent a lot of time chatting. Even during the season, the same thing happened as we went head-to-head twice. So, he is a wonderful lad and we know that they are a very good team with some terrific players and some great young Indian talent as well. It is good to see the great season they’ve had and it is going to be a challenging game with 2 strong sides going at each other. There’s a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we’ll enjoy ourselves for now and then we’ll get up fresh, and start preparing to face Kerala Blasters FC in the semifinals.
On the plan moving forward from this victorious night…
Well, I said to the team to enjoy for now, then obviously it’s all about recovery post that. We’ve had to play three games in six days and the lads have been on their feet the whole time. But we know how to get them back on and get them ready for the big upcoming games. There’s not a lot between the teams in the semifinals and, on any given day, I would suggest that anybody can win the league at this point. But what we’ve shown over the 20 league games we’ve played is that we’re the best team in the country and the records of these 20 games don’t lie. They show who is the best team at the end of the league stage. When you come into a top competition, the playoffs are those games that are fraught with danger. So, we have to make sure we’re ready for it.
