Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle is confident with his team’s performance after successive wins in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) as the club faces Hyderabad FC on Monday at the Athletic Stadium, Bambolim.

Coyle heaped praise for his counterpart Manuel Marquez, head coach of Hyderabad FC. He stated that Hyderabad are going to be a tough opponent to overcome but with wins in the back, they are feeling positive for the challenge.

Ahead of their match against Hyderabad FC, Coyle addressed the media during a pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the coach’s press conference:

You are in the second place in the league table, what will it take to continue to be in this position and pursue the top spot?

It will take more of the same hard work that we have already done. We have to continue to replicate the performances on the field. We have to show that we can stand toe to toe with anyone. There is certainly a lot of hard work ahead of us but we are certainly looking forward to that.

What will it take to beat Hyderabad FC?

It will take us being at our very best. Hyderabad are one of the top teams in the league with top players. They have an understanding coach, Marquez, for whom I have very high regard. He operates at a high level with a touch of class. They get our utmost respect but Jamshedpur are a very good team and it will be a tough game.

Back to back wins for Jamshedpur FC, how does the momentum help you?

When you win any game it helps your confidence. Winning back to back has brought us where we wanted to be with six points and the body language, feeling good about yourself. But we know each opponent is a tough opponent.

Does Ishan’s recent performance make a strong case for him to be in the starting XI?

In every game, Ishan is in my mind. Yes, I did mention about him making the national team but first and foremost, he has to be an outstanding player for Jamshedpur FC which he is showing and the quality with Jordan Murray and now Chima as well. He is a wonderful player and Ishan has to continue to bring his very best. He is such a young humble man, if he can continue to do that in the long term for Jamshedpur and the Indian national team, it will be good.

Are there any injury concerns for the team?

None of us have trained for the past six days, obviously because of precautionary measures taken with respect to Covid. That is something we have to be wary of. We have not been allowed onto the training field. So, my worry will always be players and their welfare in terms of injuries. That’s a huge concern for me. When you train, you are in good condition to play the game and it’s important to avoid injuries. After the East Bengal match, the following day we did our recovery session together and on the following day was the day off. On the day off, we had one or two high temperatures, so with that in mind, as a club, we put ourselves into quarantine as a precaution.