ISL 2018-19: "I think he can help us improve," says Jamshedpur coach Cesar Ferrando on new signing

Jamshedpur FC will be aiming to get back to winning ways in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) during their meeting with Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Tuesday.

The Men of Steel were held to a 0-0 draw during their last outing in the competition against playoff rivals NorthEast United FC, but will be confident of their chances against the Kerala Blasters, who are yet to win since their opening day triumph over ATK.

However, the reverse fixture between the sides in October worked out to be an eventful affair with the Blasters staging a sublime second-half comeback after trailing by two goals during the interval and Cesar Ferrando knows that recent results would not put his team in any sort of an advantage ahead of the meeting on Tuesday.

Furthermore, the Jamshedpur coach went on to claim that the Kerala Blasters are one of the best teams they have encountered at home so far this term, but insisted his team are ready to face the challenge in Kochi.

“I think Kerala are the best team we played at home until now,” Ferrando told reporters during the pre-match press conference.

“I think they have a good team and a good coach. It is a big match tomorrow and they will be playing in front of their home crowd.

“We are ready to play tomorrow and they are a strong team. I liked them a lot when they played in Jamshedpur," he admitted.

Jamshedpur FC were handed a huge blow when Gourav Mukhi was suspended after he was proven guilty of age fraud and Ferrando admitted that it is indeed a big disappointment for the club by suggesting that the striker is a very good player with a keen eye for goal.

“I think he [Mukhi] is a good player, he is different,” Ferrando told reporters during the pre-match press conference.

“For me he is one of the best strikers in the competition. He is faster, he has the goal in his mind. He committed a foul, he is banned and at the moment he is out of the squad, but he is a good striker."

Malsawmzuala can help us improve our level, insists Cesar Ferrando

The ban imposed on Mukhi subsequently opened the doors for another youngster in the form of Malsawmzuala, who joined Jamshedpur on a season-long deal from ATK. The creative midfielder, who has represented Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos (on loan) in the past, is not a like-for-like replacement, but will undoubtedly bolster the team's ranks.

Ferrando, who is satisfied with Malsawmzuala and the impetus he offers to the team, insisted that the 21-year-old from Mizoram will help improve the level of quality in the Jamshedpur midfield at this point in time.

The Spaniard also revealed that Malsawmzuala's recruitment was boosted by the fact the midfielder is a player who is adept at following the philosophy adopted by the Men of Steel so far this season.

“Malsawmzuala is a player of my liking since he plays a lot of short passes and he likes to play with the ball," Ferrando said during the pre-match press conference.

“We like certain players like him to feature in our team so he will only help us.

“I think he can help us to improve our level. We have a style of play and we want to keep it.

“I think he is a good player for us [to have]."

However, Ferrando remained coy on the involvement of Malsawmzuala, who remained an unused substitute against NorthEast United in the last game, by adding that he is yet to decide on the starting eleven for the game against Kerala Blasters.

“I cannot tell you because I haven’t decided my team for tomorrow," he added.

Since the last meeting between the sides, three out of four players in Jamshedpur FC's back-four have featured in every game while David James, on the other hand, has tried out five different combinations at the back during the same period.

Ferrando conveyed his opinion on continuity as a remedy for success by admitting that it is ideal to not have too many changes as it would signal that the team is not working at its optimum level.

“I think the best for every coach is to keep working with the same team. If you make a lot of changes, something is wrong in your team,” Ferrando continued.

However, the Jamshedpur coach also revealed that the injury to Raju Gaikwad has presented him with a headache in terms of selecting the ideal partner to Tiri in the heart of defence for his team on Tuesday.

“We keep a clean sheet in the last match, but it is true that we were looking for a centre-back to partner Tiri,” Ferrando added.

“Tomorrow we will have the same doubt about the centre-back, we are yet to decide [who will partner Tiri]."

Apart from Gaikwad, who is out due to a hamstring problem, both Yumnam Raju and Sergio Cidoncha have not traveled to Kochi with Jamshedpur FC due to their respective injuries.