"I expect tomorrow night to be very, very difficult" - Jamshedpur FC coach Aidy Boothroyd ahead of ISL 2022-23 clash against Chennaiyin FC
Jamshedpur FC boss Aidy Boothroyd has praised Chennaiyin FC ahead of the two teams' ISL 2022-23 encounter. The Red Miners will visit the 'Marina Arena' for their sixth game of the season on Saturday, November 19.
Boothroyd's men will enter this contest on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Hyderabad FC nearly 10 days back on November 9. Chennaiyin, meanwhile, suffered a 6-2 loss at home to Mumbai City FC last weekend.
Despite the Marina Machans' recent defeat, Boothroyd believes they are a solid team. Asked for his opinion on Thomas Brdaric's troops by Sportskeeda during Jamshedpur's pre-match press conference on November 18, he said:
"I think Thomas' team is a good team. They've got a few more points than us at the moment. I like the way they play. Sometimes, you can do well [but] you look at the scoreboard and it's 6-2 and that's not very helpful."
The Red Miners notably took points off Mumbai earlier in the season, drawing 1-1 at home. They were close to securing a win in that game, hitting the woodwork in the dying moments.
Reflecting on that result to explain the unpredictability of the league this season, Boothroyd said:
"Mumbai, as we know, are a good team. We hit the post in the last minute against them and on another day, we could've beaten them. That's how open I think the league is.
"Chennaiyin are a very good team with a good coach and I expect tomorrow night to be very, very difficult but that's what we're in it for."
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Jamshedpur, who have won just once in five ISL matches this term, will have their work cut out for them against Chennaiyin. Their bid to win the game will also be hurt further by some significant absentees.
Boothroyd confirmed that Germanpreet Singh, Laldinliana Renthlei, Eli Sabia and PC Laldinpuia are all set to miss Saturday's game due to injury. However, he chose to view that as an opportunity rather than as a problem, saying:
"You'll never hear me complaining about that. We all have injuries. The idea is to keep as many fit as possible and available. It [Injuries] makes tomorrow's game even more difficult than it was.
"But it gives other people an opportunity to show what they're all about. Hopefully we'll see some really good performances and a good result tomorrow evening."
Also Read: "We spoke about not letting that happen" - Chennaiyin FC defender Ajith Kumar motivated to correct errors from Mumbai City loss against Jamshedpur FC
"We're getting better all the time" - Jamshedpur FC coach Aidy Boothroyd
Jamshedpur FC have struggled to live up to the standards they set last season, having lifted the 2021-22 ISL League Shield. A primary reason for this has been the major reshuffling of their squad. However, they still boast quite a few quality players who are yet to hit their stride.
Being the Shield holders and playing in front of their fans, who will likely expect more of the same, could provide added pressure. However, Aidy Boothroyd doesn't believe that is the case and feels they are on the right track. The Red Miners boss said:
"I think winning the shield in the bubble will be different from winning it in the league [this year]. Us being at home isn't an added pressure, it's more of a bonus because they've been very, very supportive from Day 1.
"Getting back to playing games in different arenas against our opponents and their fans is part of the excitement. We're a work in progress and we're getting better all the time."
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Boothroyd added that Jamshedpur need to find the kind of consistency displayed by the teams closer to the top of the ISL 2022-23 table:
"What we need to do, like all good teams at the top, is to be more consistent individually and collectively as a group. And when we do that, I think we'll be really good as a team."
Midfielder Wellington Priori, who was also present at the press conference, believes the team is not too far away from getting results as well. He said:
"For me, we have a very good team. We show it in training and [parts of] matches. But we have to learn a little bit more how to play as a unit and not just as individuals. When we learn that, we'll be very difficult to beat."
Victory over Chennaiyin FC will lift Jamshedpur to seventh in the standings, while also marking their first away win of the campaign.