Jamshedpur FC’s head coach Aidy Boothroyd reckons no team is unbeatable before facing table-toppers Mumbai City FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on Friday. The Islanders have had a meticulous record so far in the ongoing Hero Indian Super League as they have won 12 matches and drawn three out of the 15 they have played.
Ergo, Des Buckingham’s team has been unbeaten so far in the ninth edition of the league. When these two teams had met earlier in the season, the result was a 1-1 draw at the Mumbai Football Arena.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur FC will have a mountain to climb against Mumbai City FC as they have won only two matches out of the 15 they have played. Boothroyd admitted it’s going to be a tough match for them.
“I think it’s a very difficult game against a very good team, a very well-coached team with some very good players and it will be a difficult game for us,” he said at the pre-match press conference.
“But we love football as games don’t always go to form. We have a lot of respect for our opponents but we go to try to win every single game we play,” he added.
Aidy believes they need to adapt according to the opposition and plan their strategy accordingly to come up with the goods.
“I think sometimes you have to adapt to your opponents, be cleverer with the gameplan. They are a good team but no team is unbeatable. Even the best teams can have a bad day. We got to have a very good day and they need to have a very bad day and if that happens then we might get a result. We will work as hard as we can to do that,” Boothroyd said.
Boothroyd is hopeful that his team will be able to finish strongly and that the forwards will deliver for the team.
“We are missing the final bit at the minute but I’m sure that we will put that right and go on a run and finish strong,” he said.
“Set-pieces have a big effect on most games, particularly at this level. Mumbai City FC are a team that can score goals on set plays or from open play and we need to get ourselves into very good positions,” he added.
