Happy with the team's performance, says Jamshedpur coach Coppell; lauds keeper Paul's saves

JAMSHEDPUR FC are still in search of a goal in their debut ISL season as they once again was involved in a goalless draw against Kerala Blasters in Kochi on Friday.

Though they are just taking a point from this game, coach Steve Coppell is happy with the performance and also lauded KBFC keeper Paul for his saves.

"I have to say yes I am happy. I know very well that it’s such a difficult place to come to. It’s very hot as well. So, to come away with a point is good. I thought we played well, we had moments where we could have done better from an attacking point of view. The save their goalkeeper made from Belfort’s header was an exceptional save, but overall I’m reasonably happy with what went on," he said at the post match press conference.

Talking about the tactical substitution that saw Anas Edathodika being replaced by Bikash Jairu post the 60th minute mark, he said,

"I think the game was there for the taking for both teams. In those conditions, the players can tire out very easily, and mistakes can be made. I was very, very conscious that under pressure, somebody could have made a mistake. We had to reorganise a lot, so I was quite happy with the point. I just hope that injuries don’t take a toll on all the teams, leaving the playing squads vulnerable."

He further spoke about Mehtab Hossain and was happy with what he did to press Berbatov.

"When you play Kerala, you have to account for the player that Berbatov has been and the contribution he can make to a game. Before the game we weren’t going to mark him tightly, but I think in the first 15 minutes, he sort of drifted into positions and I wasn’t happy about that. He is capable of ripping a team apart. Mehtab and he had an interesting tussle all night but I felt that we had to harass him as much as possible, so he couldn’t receive the ball and pick passes."

"We expected Berbatov to play in the floating role; we thought that would be where he could get the ball. Early on, we thought that we would just see what was going to happen, but then it became obvious that he was getting more of the ball so we had to close him down. I thought Mehtab did a pretty good job, without making it a physical contest."

Get the latest in the world of Sports, Teams, and Players! Free Delivery to your Inbox.