Jamshedpur, Sept 6 (Agency) Jamshedpur FC have been the pride of their city since their inception into the Indian Super League (ISL) a fact that is evident from the packed house that is on show when the home side play at the JRD Tata Sports Complex stadium here. The fans’ faith in the team was rewarded in 2021-22 when the Men of Steel claimed the League Shield under Owen Coyle.But since that emphatic triumph, things have gone downhill for Jamshedpur FC as consecutive tenth-place finishes have left a feeling of disappointment among the fans.Results and performances improved when Khalid Jamil took over mid-season last term, but it was not enough to turn their fortunes around after a poor first half of the season. Jamil will have another crack at helping the team reach the playoffs after being given the head coach’s role full-time but he is tasked with a steep ask as the Men of Steel have only qualifiedfor the knockout stages once in seven seasons in ISL. Jamshedpur FC didn’t have the best of Durand Cup campaigns as they bowed out in the group stage of the competition. The Men of Steel won their opening two matches against Assam Rifles and Chennaiyin FC but a shock defeat at the hands of Indian Army in their final group game led to their exit from the competition.
Jamshedpur FC lost some key players in the summer in the shape of Daniel Chima Chukwu, Elsinho, TP Rehenesh and Jeremy Manzorro but have done a good job of replacing them by bringing in the likes of Jordan Murray, Stephen Eze, Javi Hernandez, Albino Gomes and Ashutosh Mehta. Key players like Rei Tachikawa, Pronay Halder and Javier Siverio have been retained. The young players like Mohammad Sanan and Imran Khan stepped up in the Durand Cup which will come as a boost to Jamil who has a strong foreign contingent. If the Indian players can contribute, the Men of Steel will have a very good chance of making it into the top six this season. Gomes who is familiar with Jamil will play in goal behind a defence led by the experience of Eze, Pratik Chaudhari and Ashutosh Mehta. The Sanan-Tachikawa combo in midfield seems very promising and their energy is exactly what a Jamil-coached team thrives on. With Hernandez, Siverio and Jordan Murray among the striking options, the Jamshedpur-based side have plentyof quality to call upon.Javi Hernandez is one of the best attacking midfielders to have played in the ISL and has found success at every club he has been to. Hernandez will bring the sort of creativity to Jamshedpur FC which they have lacked since the departure of Greg Stewart. He has 21 goals and 16 assists to his name in the ISL and has created 155 chances in 99 appearances in the league. Hernandez will be the talisman of this team and willbe central to everything that they will achieve this season.
The 20-year-old Mohammad Sanan showed the quality he possesses last season with incredible performances for Jamshedpur FC last season and he has continued from where he left off last season. Scoring twice in the Durand Cup, Sanan has set the tone for the new season and will be a key player in the Jamshedpur FC midfield. A disciplinarian Khalid Jamil who is knows to get the best out of his players has a track record of making teams punch above their weight. Be in taking Aizawl FC to the I-League title or being the first Indian head coach to take an ISL team to the semi-finals when he guided NorthEast United FC into the top four, Jamil has time and again made critics take note of his pedigree as a coach. With Jamshedpur FC having a lot of players who have played with Jamil before, the Indian could forge them into a real force this season. The Men of Steel have a tough start to the campaign as they face three of last season’s top four teams in their first four matches before the fixtures list eases off a bit. But if the 2021-22 Shield winners have to make the cut to the semi-finals, they will have to treat every game as a knockout fixture. Jamil’s men will end the year with a home game against Kerala Blasters FC.