Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd was in a positive mindset and demanded his team to right the wrongs from their defeat to FC Goa, ahead of the match against Hyderabad FC in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 in JRD Tata sports complex, Jamshedpur on Wednesday.

The battle between the defending Hero ISL champions and the defending shield winners looks more promising now as teams have started to settle in after the initial few matchweeks. Hyderabad FC are currently top of the table and will look to maintain their unbeaten streak. On the other hand, the Red Miners will be hoping to return to winning ways after their second defeat of the season.

Boothroyd, who was accompanied by forward Jay Emmanuel-Thomas for the pre-match press conference, said the game against Hyderabad FC would be a difficult, but one to look forward to for his side. 

Here are the excerpts from Boothroyd's press conference:

The team faced a defeat to FC Goa. Now you face Hyderabad FC, the defending champions of the Hero ISL. How much are you looking forward to face them?

They managed to stay together as a team for three years so there is stability. As for us, I was very disappointed with the result and performance against FC Goa. The second half was better, and now we demand the same from each other. What better place to put that right against the current leaders of the league. They have a good unit and a good coach. We are all very excited and looking forward to it.

Any injury update on Eli Sabia?

Yes, Eli Sabia is injured. We sent him for the scan and all came well. We can expect he will be back within 2-3 weeks. These things (injury, suspension) happen to all teams. We have to get ride on with those things and find the winning formula.

In the last match against FC Goa, what went wrong? And what are the learnings from that game?

After 30 minutes, when we were 0-2 down, when the stratergy that we had hasn't been applied and we in a position where we needed to chase the game. But at the same time not to concede further. Sometimes, you get results and performance that are really poor and it is important not to wallow too much into it. FC Goa is a good team. We have to give credit to them. But we were no way near our best. Strategically, we didn't do what we were supposed to do in the first 12 minutes of the game but I am pleased with the second half. I was quite irritated with the result and the performance considering the amount of effort that goes into it from the players and staff.

Will we see Jay Emmanuel-Thomas starting against Hyderabad FC?

We have been waiting to unleash this guy for a little time. He's got a better-than-average chance of starting.

We won against NorthEast United FC, but that second half was difficult. JFC have been doing better in the first half than in the second half. Is it a concern for the team?

We have played against those teams which started very well. We make changes in the second half based on how the game progresses and the tactical changes that are need. When you look at the game against FC Goa, we didn't start very well. But against Odisha FC we started very well. it's all about putting it all together and making sure that recipe works.

How much pressure is on the team considering we are facing the league leaders?

There is pressure in every game and every training session as we want to be at our best. Every club is different. Hyderabad FC have been a stable team for three years in a row. Despite being the shield winners, we are a different team now, because we have different players and coach. We have lost two-three players to other clubs. We are in a rebuilding phase and we're moving forward. I don't think there is added pressure on this game more than any other game. We have prepared properly. We have a game plan and let's see if we can apply that. 

We played with an Indian defender and one foreign defender and with two foreign forwards against Mumbai City FC. Can we expect a similar kind of formation for the next match?

There is a strong chance to play with that formation. From where I have worked, I never managed a team with foreign player rule. It's been a challenge to get that balance right. You learn something after every game. That balance of when and where to get your foreign players on the pitch, I have found it difficult. But that will hopefully kick in and we will get better at it. We will get players on the pitch at the right time while developing young Indian players and pushing them, so that they can improve too.

Are you happy with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Harry Sawyer's performances?

Every player is different. Some players will take a longer time to settle. In JET's case, he brings quality to the team and it is just about giving him the right time to give him the opportunity and be the player he can be. We have eased him in and I think now it is his time. 

Here are the excerpts from Emmanuel-Thomas' conference:

You are a senior player and have played around the world. How do you motivate the younger players in the squad? And how much are you looking forward to the next match?

I try to give them information that they may not have received before. And give them constructive criticism in certain areas and help them build their performance. In areas like positioning, technical ability, making decisions and movements that can help them improve. I am looking forward to the next game. It's always nice to be involved and it's good to have a home game after a defeat. It's a good feeling to get the result in front of our home fans after our performance against FC Goa. 

How does the coach inspire you? When does the coach get angry?

His words are wisdom. We will take full information and try to digest it and try to implement it in the pitch as best as we can. He is not an angry person, but everybody has their moments where they will be frustrated. But hopefully, we need to put the performance that we don't need to see that side.

What role do the fans play in the success and failure of the team?

Fans at stadiums are the keys, especially in the home. The noise and atmosphere which is created through cheers, chants, singing can give you the energy that you think you may have not had. When we are tired of doing counter-attacks and defending in the 88th minute, when we hear the fans cheer, suddenly you will have that burst of energy to make that last run or defend. It's a great feeling to have a fully-packed stadium with 20,000 plus fans. We just want them to keep making that noise and creating that atmosphere every game.

 

 

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Jamshedpur FCHyderabad FC2022-2023 Match 28,Jamshedpur FC vs Hyderabad FC