Jamshedpur FC head coach Scott Cooper expressed concern as his team lost narrowly to Odisha FC with a 1-0 scoreline in Matchweek 8 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur. 

The Men of Steel were handed their fifth loss of the season by Odisha FC when Fijian striker Roy Krishna headed the ball past Jamshedpur FC goalkeeper Rehenesh TP in the 56th minute of the match to score the winner for the Kalinga Warriors. Odisha FC climbed up to third on the table while Jamshedpur FC remain in the tenth position. 

A difficult night in Jamshedpur. pic.twitter.com/uk3AwCdQTf

— Jamshedpur FC (@JamshedpurFC) December 1, 2023

The home team created numerous goal-scoring opportunities but remained inefficient in front of goal, failing to find the back of the net. Despite playing impressively in most of their recent matches, they were consistently defeated by narrow margins, primarily due to issues with finishing and poor shot conversion.

The Irish-English tactician is frustrated with his team’s consistently poor results despite strong performances. He feels that his team is struggling to capitalize on goal-scoring chances in every game.

"We had 20 chances to their 14. It's the same story every game, right? We create chances. This is why it's frustrating," Cooper said in the post-match press conference.

"It's not about being heavily beaten with 25% or 30% possession and not creating chances. As a coach, club, and team, you have to worry when that happens. So it's like temporary disappointment, but it's happening consistently. We don't want it to be permanent. We're losing games by a single goal, creating more chances than other teams. But we don't have the capability clearly to finish the chances,” he added.

The head coach further expressed concern about his players not being able to convert their chances. Cooper added that addressing this issue is crucial for the team's success and emphasized the need for improvement in finishing.

“I don't know, tactically we're getting it right. I'd say yes, because why would we have possession and chances if we weren't getting it right tactically? But I can't score goals for players. I can only pick the team, give them the tactics and they have to do the rest,” he explained.