Guwahati: NorthEast United would look to notch up their elusive third win of this Indian Super League season when they host Jamshedpur FC here on Monday, in a match between two sides who are out of reckoning for a play-off berth.
The Guwahati-based side last won a game on November 6, 2019 against Hyderabad FC and since then they have four draws and six defeats to show for.
Their last goal scored from open play was incidentally against Jamshedpur FC when Panagiotis Triadis found a late equaliser. Coach Robert Jarni was disappointed with his team’s passing in the final third as their players seem to be all at sea as soon as they reach the opposition’s box.
Simon Lundevall is yet to adapt to the Indian conditions since his move from Sweden, while Andy Keogh has hardly had any service.
Federico Gallego is not the same player from last season, while Martin Chaves has not scored a goal in 1107 minutes this season. “I really don’t know what to say because some of the foreign players who left us, they really played well. It is not easy for our new foreign players to adapt in new conditions. You have to know your teammates, you need months to adapt with the club,” said Jarni.
Jamshedpur FC have issues of their own. They started the season in style with back-to-back wins at home, but thereafter, it has gone awry. The injury to Piti and Sergio Castel did not help as they struggled to score goals in their absence. Add to that, the injury to their only recognised centre-back in Tiri in the business end of the season did not help them either.
They have come into the game on the back of a disappointing 1-2 defeat in Mumbai where they took the lead only to capitulate in the second half.
Coach Antonio Iriondo needs to ensure that his players give their all and end their campaign on a high. One of the positives for them has been the number of minutes the young players, namely Narender Gahlot, Jitender Singh, Sandip Mandi, Amarjit Singh and Aniket Jadhav, have earned which would only help them in the following season.
“Obviously they are very young players, their first experience in the ISL so it is norml that they make some mistakes. Probably it has not been the best for the team in a competitive way, but the development of these players is going to be something great for the team in future. Next year surely they will be very important for the team,” said Iriondo. (PTI)
