Steve Coppell Teddy Sheringham Jamshedpur FC ATK ISL 2017ISL

ISL 2017: Steve Coppell unconcerned by lack of goals, criticises playing surface

The occasion of hosting the club's first ever home game, that too against the defending champions ATK, did not turn into a memorable one as Jamshedpur FC played out yet another 0-0 stalemate on Friday.

As the cameras zoomed in and head coach Steve Coppell was put on the spot after the full-time whistle, he appeared unconcerned about the fact that his side have been unable to score a single goal after over 270 minutes of football.

"Not really. We know clean sheets are very important," he said. Later at the press conference, he elaborated, "It was difficult because of the surface. We had a very strong claim for a penalty in the first few minutes. The pitch wasn't great. The game wasn't really a spectacle. We play our next home game in nine days and I don't expect the pitch to improve. But in the next one month, I expect it to be firmer."

He added, "The changes were made as (Andre) Bikey came in place of Anas (Edathodika). I think (Sameegh) Doutie did a good job. They tried but unfortunately, things didn't go our way."

India international Anas Edathodika is expected to be back by the end of the month for their away game against Bengaluru FC.

"Anas realistically will be back against Bengaluru FC. We had an MRI done and we are getting opinions on that," said the former Kerala Blasters boss.

His counterpart Teddy Sheringham too was left unimpressed by the quality of the pitch. "After five minutes we understood this could really be bad for the players. We got one injury. But thankfully others were safe. The pitch was horrendous," criticised the former Spurs forward.

"Eugeneson (Lyngdoh) had a whack on his knee. Hopefully, it's not serious. The injury had nothing to do with the pitch though."

"It was a hard fought draw. I don't think the game was extraordinary. But the players are trying hard in training and on the pitch."

"The crowd was fantastic. I am not concerned about Jamshedpur FC. I am here to watch ATK and I am concerned about my team," he concluded.


 
 

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