ISL 2020-21: Jamshedpur FC: Team Preview: Squad, Fixtures, Best Players, Strength, Weakness, Prediction

Bengaluru, Nov 16: Jamshedpur FC would be aiming to forget their past performances and look for a fresh start in the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21. Having missed out on the top four spots in their three seasons so far, the Jamshedpur-based franchise will be targeting its first-ever playoff appearance.

With Owen Coyle as head coach, Jamshedpur will be led by someone who took Chennaiyin FC all the way to the ISL final last season. With three different head coaches at the helm in three seasons, Jamshedpur FC have, this time, put their faith in Scottish head coach Owen Coyle for this season after finishing eighth in the previous edition.

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Coyle showed us what he's capable of doing in the ISL last season when he led a faltering Chennaiyin FC from the bottom of the league to the semi-finals before eventually losing to ATK FC in the final.

Jamshedpur will start their campaign on November 24 against Chennaiyin FC at the Tilak Maidan in Goa. The entire tournament - which will see 115 matches in all - will be held across three stadiums in Goa due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Prior to the season, Jamshedpur had a busy transfer and coach Owen Coyle bought last season's Golden Boot winner and former Chennaiyin FC striker Nerijus Valskis. Jamshedpur had a busy transfer season and the team now boasts a good blend of experienced players and talented youngsters.

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Defender Peter Hartley, who arrives at Jamshedpur after a two-year spell with Scottish club Motherwell, is another vital signing for Jamshedpur. Hartley, who spent nine years at Sunderland, has been named captain for the upcoming edition.

Jamshedpur FC also roped in Brazilian midfielder Alex Lima, Nigerian defender Stephen Eze and Australian forward Nicholas Fitzgerald ahead of the season. The franchise's biggest Indian signing is Jackichand Singh, who came in after transfer deal with FC Goa.

Strength:

Jamshedpur FC's campaign has been boosted by the arrival of head coach Owen Coyle and Nerijus Valskis -- both instrumental to Chennaiyin FC's run to the ISL final last season. Presence of players like Alex Lima, Stephen Eze and Nicholas Fitzgerald along with Jackichand Singh in the squad brings variety and makes them a pretty balanced team.

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Now with a new club for the upcoming ISL campaign and a full pre-season to look forward to, Coyle has a chance to inculcate his philosophy into another young team from the get-go. With a squad that features the likes of Aniket Jadhav, Amarjit Singh, Jitendra Singh and Narender Gahlot, it's safe to say that Coyle will have plenty of exciting, young talent to work with just like he did at Chennaiyin.

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Weakness:

Jamshedpur always started their ISL campaigns well but faltered midseason and towards the latter stages of the league. After finishing fifth in their first two ISL campaigns, they narrowly missed out on qualification. However, Jamshedpur endured their most underwhelming season yet in the 2019-20 campaign, finishing eighth under Spanish head coach Antonio Iriondo. It will also be crucial how well the players gel-up together so that they do not lose steam midway.

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Jamshedpur FC squad

Goalkeepers: TP Rehenesh, Pawan Kumar, Niraj Kumar, Raj Mahato, Vishal Yadav.

Defenders: Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Narender Gehlot, Joyner Lourenco, Laldinliana Renthlei, Karan Amin, Manash Protim Gogoi, Sandip Mandi, Ricky Lallawmawma, Subhash Barua.

Midfielders: Aitor Monroy, Alex Lima, Jackichand Singh, Nicholas Fitzgerald, Issac Vanmalsawma, Amarjit Singh, Mobashir Rahman, Jitendra Singh, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Billu Teli, Gorachand Mardi, Gaurab, Bhupender Singh.

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Forwards: Nerijus Valskis, David Grande, Aniket Jadhav, Sapam Kennedy Singh, William Lalnunfela.

Key players: Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Nerijus Valskis, Alex Lima, Jackichand Singh.

Prediction: Coach Owen Coyle's proven track record of extracting the best from the squad of players at his disposal would give Jamshedpur a major boost. The team owners, as well as fans, will have renewed reason for optimism heading into the new season and certainly have the potential to make it to the playoffs this season.

Fixtures (all matches 7.30 pm IST)

Nov 24: Jamshedpur FC vs Chennaiyin FC @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Nov 29: Jamshedpur FC vs Odisha FC @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec 02: Hyderabad FC vs Jamshedpur FC @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec 07: Jamshedpur FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec 10: SC East Bengal Vs Jamshedpur FC @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec 14: Mumbai City FC vs Jamshedpur FC @ GMC Stadium Bambolim

Dec 18: NorthEast United FC vs Jamshedpur FC @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec 23: Jamshedpur FC vs FC Goa @ Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec 28: Bengaluru FC vs Jamshedpur FC @ Fatorda Stadium

Jan 10: Jamshedpur FC vs Kerala Blasters FC @ Tilak Maidan Stadium