Jamshedpur FC 3-2 Mumbai City FC: 4 things we learned
Jamshedpur FC locked horns with Mumbai City FC in Match 67 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Thursday. The former came out 3-2 winners thanks to a late goal by Greg Stewart.
Owen Coyle's side were pressing from minute one and almost had their first goal as early as that. However, it did not take long for that goal to come. Greg Stewart opened the scoring for his side followed by Ritwik Das adding to the tally.
Des Buckingham's side hit back with two goals in the second half, one from Rahul Bheke and the other from Diego Mauricio. But it wasn't enough as Jamshedpur FC managed to edge past them, courtesy of a Stewart penalty in the 94th minute.
The win took the Men of Steel to 28 points from 15 games, a point behind ATK Mohun Bagan and league-leaders Hyderabad FC.
On that note, let's take a look at the four things we learned from this game.
#4 Jamshedpur FC attempt to let go of the habit of sitting back
Jamshedpur FC started the game pressing Mumbai City FC in their half. This was a new sight for Coyle's team, who are known to sit back. They generally sit back and wait for a chance to hit the opposition on the counter.
Their approach against the Islanders paid off quickly, getting them two goals before half-time. However, this approach did not last long and after the second goal, the Men of Steel went back to Plan A.
The cons of such an approach were visible early in the second half when Mumbai City FC launched attack after attack and got a goal back.
Check out the ISL news here.
#3 Mumbai City FC's lack of play-making
In the previous season, the Islanders had the services of Hugo Boumous, whose skillset as a playmaker catapulted them to the double. However, the situation isn't the same now.
Boumous' replacement, Cassio Gabriel, is a good offensive midfielder who takes on players and carries the ball. But Cassio doesn't drop into space pockets and circulate possession like Hugo did.
At times, there is a huge gap between the central midfielders and the attacking line. This causes problems when the side are up against a ISL team that deploys a mid/low block.
#2 Jamshedpur FC's improvement in wing-play
One of the key aspects of Jamshedpur FC's win against the Islanders was their ability to use the flanks. Wingers Ritwik Das and Boris Singh put in a lot of hard work to stretch the opposition.
Earlier, Boris Singh and Ritwik Das used to be deployed on the left and right flanks respectively. By switching that around, Owen Coyle has been able to utilize the two wingers to their optimum potential. Both goals in the first half were examples of the effective utilization of the flanks.
#1 Mumbai City FC's lack of squad rotation
One of the problems with Mumbai City FC that has plagued them this season is their habit of sticking to a defined squad even when the team isn't firing on all cannons. Des Buckingham has only looked the other way when there has been an injury or a suspension.
This has backfired on many occasions, especially in recent times. Against Jamshedpur FC, the Islanders looked blunt and the impact substitutions had on the team was visible in the second half.