Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle eyes key tests against Mohun Bagan, Mumbai

Jamshedpur, March 20: Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle has set his sights firmly on the two big tests awaiting his side after the international break, saying the Men of Steel must be “at our very best” for the upcoming clashes against Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC.

Speaking after Jamshedpur FC’s 1-1 draw against Sporting Club Delhi, Coyle made it clear that while his team had shown enough to stay among the frontrunners, the next stretch of fixtures could have a major bearing on their season.

“We’ll take the break, come back, we’ll get a brilliant game when we come back,” Coyle said. “So some big, big games that we’re looking forward to. We just have to make sure we’re at our very best.”

That next phase begins with a home match against Mohun Bagan on April 4, before another heavyweight contest against Mumbai City FC. With Jamshedpur FC on 13 points from six matches and level on points with Mohun Bagan, albeit having played a game more, Coyle believes his side have already put themselves in a strong position to compete with the league’s biggest clubs.

“What we’ve done is we’ve put ourselves in that group at the top to give ourselves a chance to keep fighting for everything,” he said.

The Jamshedpur FC coach, however, was equally clear that his side cannot afford to carry the same lapses into those fixtures. Coyle pointed to the goal conceded in Delhi as an avoidable one and said the team must show more composure in decisive moments.

Also he believes Jamshedpur should convert most of the chances, they create, Against Delhi, the Men of Steel dominated long stretches, produced waves of attacks and still needed a late equaliser from Nikola Stojanović to rescue a point.

These details, Coyle suggested, become even more important in a short league season, where every dropped point can shape the table quickly.

He admitted there was frustration at not taking all three points in Delhi and even suggested his side “should probably be sitting with 16 points instead of 13”, but he also saw enough in the performance to feel encouraged before the meetings with Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City.

The Jamshedpur FC gaffer also pointed to the squad’s resilience after two demanding away trips in the space of four days and without Madih Talal, who has missed the last two matches. He praised the contribution of younger players, especially Puia, and said the group had continued to show the spirit needed for the final stretch.

“We continue to work hard, stay very humble, just keep working, doing our very best,” Coyle said. “And hopefully, in that second half of the season, we can get back to winning games, because we’ve shown that we can do that.”