ISL 2017-18, Match 49: Jamshedpur FC vs Kerala Blasters, 5 Talking Points

Coppell gets one over on his old side

Steve Coppell would be very pleased with this win. (Photo: ISL)

Yes, Steve Coppell is a defensive coach, who sets his sides up to be hard to beat. But, he's a very astute one at that, who has definitive plans on how to score with the few chances that his side are likely to generate. There are proper attacking patterns visible with his teams whenever they do go forward. In short, he's a man with a plan.

That's what the Kerala Blasters, who he took to the final last season, have missed. Rene Meulensteen opted for defensive set-ups, but when they had the ball there looked to be no plan on how they were going to get a goal. The players weren't utilised properly.

Under James, he's stuck to basics with a simple game-plan. Coppell though showed today that he's able to devise plans according to the opposition that saw James' unbeaten run brought to an end.

Considering their playing style thus far this season, no one, the Blasters included, probably expected them to start the game on the front foot. But Coppell's move to attack intensely right from the start for the first 10 minutes caught Kerala by surprise. Despite the early goal, Jamshedpur were bombarding the Kerala defence with crosses for that initial period.

It looked like they came with a clear plan to try and score one, perhaps even two, before Kerala could get their defence set as well as employ the element of surprise. It got them the control in the match they wanted as the Blasters couldn't fight back and it brought them a much-needed three points and their first win at home.