ISL, Jamshedpur FC season review: Leaky defence, over-reliance on foreigners failed Iriondo’s men

Jamshedpur FC had been the Indian Super League’s nearly-men since their inception into the franchise-based competition in 2017. In their first two campaigns, the men from the steel city narrowly missed out on the semi-finals after finishing fifth in the standings.

Under new manager Antonio Iriondo, Jamshedpur were expected to go at least a step ahead this season, but things fell apart for the Tata Steel Ltd-owned outfit after a fine start. They finished with 18 points, their lowest tally in the competition so far.

Jamshedpur currently occupy the eighth position but could slip to the ninth spot if NorthEast United manage to get at least one point in their last two remaining matches.

The disappointing season ended on the worst possible note for Jamshedpur, who were handed a 5-0 hammering by league stage winners FC Goa at home, to leave Iriondo’s position at the club under serious threat.

Defensive crisis

Jamshedpur’s respectable showings in their first two seasons were based on strong defensive organisation. The team conceded just 18 goals in their debut season before allowing only 21 goals last year.

However, the defensive resolve went missing this season as Jamshedpur shipped 35 goals, the league’s second-worst tally.

Iriondo’s men kept just two clean sheets all season. Surprisingly, the two shut outs came against last season’s finalists FC Goa and Bengaluru FC fairly early in the season and Jamshedpur have since then conceded in each of their previous 13 matches.

Constant chopping and changing of personnel at the back and the frequent systemic changes didn’t allow Jamshedpur to have a settled rearguard with players also playing out of position. Narender Gahlot was often deployed on the left side of defence while midfielders Memo Moura was deployed at centre-back in few matches. In their last few games, striker Sumeet Passi played as full-back.

Failure of the Indian contingent

Jamshedpur were heavily dependent on their foreign players and lacked support from their Indian stars. Although the likes of Farukh Choudhari, Narender Gahlot and Amarjit Singh Kiyam impressed on occasions, the onus of carrying the team was always on the foreign players.

Iriondo’s men struggled to cope with the absence of star forward Sergio Castel, who missed seven matches due to injury. In his absence, Jamshedpur found goals hard to come by as the Indian players contributed to only five out of the 22 goals they scored.

The signing of David Grande midway through the season failed to have the desired impact as he managed only a single goal in eight matches leaving the Jamshedpur attack fractured.

With defence leaking goals at the other end, Jamshedpur found going quite tough as the season progressed. Having notched up three wins in their first five matches, the men from the steel city managed just one in the remaining thirteen matches to completely fall out of contention.

Key player: Sergio Castel

The Spanish forward was the most important player for Jamshedpur this season, scoring seven goals for them. The team struggled in his absence and Castel’s injury was the turning point for Jamshedpur this season.

Apart from the goals, the Spaniard also led the attack well bringing the others into play and thus helping the team carry a threat. Despite a disappointing season for the team, Jamshedpur would be keen to keep the 24-year-old at the club for the next season.

Best Indian player: Farukh Choudhary

Choudhary may not have the goals to show for his endeavours up front but he was forever the shining light of Jamshedpur attack this season with unending energy and terrific work rate. He also made four assists this season, the most by any Jamshedpur player.

Having fallen out of favour in the national team, Choudhary’s exploits with Jamshedpur helped him regain his place in the Indian side.

What next for Jamshedpur?

Iriondo’s position will certainly be assessed after a disappointing season and it seems unlikely that he will continue in his role next season. Jamshedpur would need to freshen up their defence with Tiri and Memo Moura being perhaps past their best.

On the other hand, Jamshedpur have a bunch of promising Indian youngers in Choudhary, Amarjit and Gahlot who would have learned a lot from their experience this season. They are likely to improve next season and Jamshedpur must retain the trio ahead for the next season.

After fairly satisfying displays in their first two campaigns, this season has been a bit of a setback for Jamshedpur and a squad overhaul may be the way forward for men from the steel city.