Mehtab Hossain followed in the footsteps of his head coach, Steve Coppell by joining Jamshedpur FC from Kerala Blasters FC ahead of the upcoming season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). Hossain had been with the Blasters for the past three seasons but has made the switch to Jamshedpur with Coppell looking to strengthen his midfield. The defensive-midfielder spoke to indiansuperleague.com in the build up to Hero ISL 2017-18 and shared his thoughts on the fourth edition of the league. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

You’ve played with Kerala since the inception of Hero ISL. What is it going to be like to play for a new club this season?

It’s a big challenge! New team, new players, bit difficult to understand each other but we will try to play as a team. Steve has been great. He’s helped us during practice and how to get together. Overall everywhere we go, like the dining table, on the field or when we go out, we try to stay together as a team. Play good football! Steve always says, results don’t matter, it’s how well you play and how much you improve each game.

As you said, the coach has been a great influence. Many Kerala players from last year, yourself included, are also part of the squad, so how does that help?

It’s a great plus point. To have 4-5 players knowing each other from the last season, it’s a great help.

Aaron Hughes was the marquee player for your side last year but there are no marquee players this season. What are your thoughts on that?

I played last three years with Kerala and I’ve realized you don’t need big players, but a good team. Sometimes you have big players, but there are no results and this has happened with a few teams in the Hero ISL. So, you need a good team. If you have big players, sometimes there are ego issues. We have a good team and a balanced team and I’m sure we’ll get the desired results.

How difficult is the role of a defensive midfielder?

Obviously, it’s difficult. But at the end of the day, it’s my job and I love to play in that position. When I started, I played as a right winger for Mohun Bagan. In 2008, my coach changed my position to a defensive midfielder. I also play attacking sometimes, but this is my right position and I’m very happy as a defensive midfielder.

You’ve been a part of two finals in the past seasons. Do you think you’re going to go all the way this year?

Inshallah! If God wants us, we’ll win it! First, we play against NEUFC and then KBFC. First match is going to be extremely crucial for the team.