ISL 2022-23: We’ve got to not feel sorry for ourselves: Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd

Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd believes they have got to not feel sorry for themselves after their 0-1 loss against Kerala Blasters FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on Sunday. Dimitrios Diamantakos scored for the Tuskers in the 17th minute of the game to give the decisive lead to their team.

Thus, Kerala Blasters registered their fourth win on the bounce. Jamshedpur FC haven’t been able to get going in the ninth edition of the league as they have managed a solitary win in the eight matches they have played. The previous season’s League Shield winners have suffered six losses and have managed one draw.

Aidy Boothroyd said while sharing his thoughts in the post-match press conference, “I thought there were lots of positives actually. What wasn’t positive, was the goal that we conceded which was very disappointing. It came from a free kick, which we work on a regular basis. We had a shout for a penalty..but when things aren’t going well for you, you get those little bounces of the ball, those little breaks in the play, and the moment is a tough one, we’re in a tough place. Thankfully, we’ve got Eli Sabia back through 90 minutes. That’s good and positive. We should have a couple of players back in the next ten or seven days hopefully. So, we’ll just keep going.”

Jamshedpur FC were able to create many set pieces chances in the second half but they weren’t able to make the most from them.

Boothroyd said, “I would think, yeah. I don’t think we’re as good at them as we were at the early part of the season. You know, we went up to Mumbai City FC, we scored from a long throw and scored from the corners. When you’re in a time like this, you need to work on everything. So, we’ve got to prioritise what’s important and the priority is getting people fit and getting a system that suits everybody. Because at the minute, it’s round pegs in square holes. At the moment, we haven’t got the people who we need to be there. You look at their team (Kerala Blasters FC) and it is a team of men. We’re not quite there yet.”

Putting more light on the issue, Boothroyd said on his team’s inability to convert those chances, “Well, it has worked in the past. But I think it’s a fair point. In the early part of the season, we were very organised in our set plays and we’d scored from set plays. But the final little bit is putting the ball in the net so we get the ball into a place where we can score. At that moment, we headed it straight to the goalkeeper who headed it over, volleying it over when we should have taken a little bit more care.”

He continued, “What I do think about this team is they’re almost trying too hard. Trying so hard that it actually makes us not as strong. But I agree we should be converting our set pieces like earlier in the season.”

Jamshedpur FC will take on ATK Mohun Bagan at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Thursday.