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Jamshedpur FC will look to go all guns blazing in this season of the Indian Super League especially after missing out so narrowly last time around.
They have been in the news for all the right season lately starting from their Spain Pre-season tour to the Tim Cahill transfer to the 1-0 win against an Atletico Madrid ‘B’ Side.
Combining to a number of feathers that they hold in their cap here’s a list of 5 reasons on what makes them as one of the serious contenders for this season of ISL.
#1 Smart retentions from the previous season
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Jamshedpur FC this season has been very smart with the retentions of their foreign and Indian Players.
In terms of the foreigners, they have been able to offload the likes of Trindade, Kervens Belfort and Sameehg Doutie who took a major chunk of the salary cap and have instead retained Tiri and Memo who have been clinical for the JFC last season.
Even though they would have liked to retain Wellington in the midfield, who, despite signing a contract extension initially, decided to part ways. They would still be happy to retain the services of two of their most important players.
As far as the Indian signings are concerned they have been able to retain the notable services of Subrata Paul, Bikash Jairu and Robin Gurung.
Jerry, Farukh Choudhary and Sumit Passi have also stayed with the club, three of whom are looked upon as future prospects in Indian Football and have equally been crucial for the club last season.
They have also secured the signing of Michael Soosairaj who is a much sought after talent in the country.
It will also be interesting to see how Ferrando decides to rotate his players in different positions.
#2 The Tim Cahill Factor
The legendary Aussie forward who is also the only Marquee signing of the season would be Clinical for Jamshedpur FC if they are to win the league.
His presence will benefit the club both on and off the field where his lethal attacking abilities amalgamate perfectly with the depth of experience that he brings along with him.
With over 100 games for the Socceroos’ and a Premier League starter at Everton, he brings with him a vital attacking option that JFC left wandering last season.
With his acclaimed CV, he would also serve as a great inspiration for the entire team which already looks like one of the closely bonded teams even before the start of the tournament.
#3 A Great pre-season
While on the tour, JFC has also enjoyed the presence of all seven of their foreign signings, five of whom hailed from Spain. Jamshedpur FC is going into the season with the cushion of a great pre-season in Madrid. The team had spent over a month in the Spanish Capital and have been able to train under the best facilities of Spanish Giants Athletico Madrid.
The presence of the entire team should have given sufficient time for the players to gel in as a unit and preferably given coach Cesar Ferrando to try out his options and combinations.
The results of the friendlies also speak in favour of Jamshedpur FC with the highlight being that of the win against Athletico Madrid B 1-0 in their final match of the tour. JFC’s pre-season results are as follows:
#4 Strengthened Midfield
Out of the five foreign signings of the season, JFC has gone for three proper midfielders in their line-up.
Mario Arques(26), Pablo Margao(29), Carlos Calvo(33), would look to bolster the JFC playing 11 with an All Spanish midfield.
The other Spanish signing Sergio Cidoncha(28) can also be used in an attacking midfield position. Previously with ATK, we have already seen the impact Spanish dominated sides make in the ISL and under a Spanish coach in Ferrado, one can expect the best from JFC too.
Jamshedpur has also managed to retain Bikash Jairu, Farukh Choudhary along with a new signing in the form of Micheal Soosairaj as a midfield option.
The added names in the midfield might also be the result of the midfield mismatch faced by the team in the first half of the season last season.
Even though JFC can have concerns at the back a strong midfield might help balance it out for them.
That being said, it will be really interesting to see what players and what formations Ferrado decides to play this season.
#5 Home Advantage
What gives Jamshedpur an edge over all the other ISL teams is their exclusiveness in terms of the infrastructure.
Having their own stadium gives them an added advantage of practicing on the same pitch and in the same conditions that will be replicated in the match. The TATAs have also upgraded their training facilities for maximum athlete utilisation this year.
The players and the staff will also be enjoying the luxury of staying at the JFC flatlets, a privilege no other ISL Team possesses.
All these things combined will surely give JFC an added edge to focus on what is required than anything else.
Secondly, like previous season JFC will also be enjoying the support of the crowd throughout the season.
The Jamshedpur crowd works as a twelfth man for the team and that vibe flows from the fans to the players.
All in all, Jamshedpur FC should look to be in a better position mentally than any other ISL team.
