Antonio Iriondo rues injuries after Mumbai City FC dash Jamshedpur FC's qualification hopes | ISL 2019-20

On the 6th of February 2020, Mumbai City FC consigned Jamshedpur FC to their 7th defeat of the season, although the Islanders left it pretty late. However, the loss meant that the Red Miners’ slim qualification hopes were truly shattered with Antonio Iriondo’s side only having the pride to play for in the matches that remain.

Consequently, one couldn’t help but ask the Spaniard his assessment of the campaign, considering it represented another occasion where Jamshedpur had started brightly but had largely failed to sustain the momentum.

After all the situations we have had with respect to the injuries, we have had to put all the young players and they have responded. So it is a positive part as these youngsters, who got confidence and minutes this season will play a part in the future of the club.

However, that didn’t stop Iriondo from remarking upon the game that had transpired and how a few forced tweaks eventually turned the tide in the Islanders’ favour. Aniket Jadhav and Farukh Choudhary began the encounter on the flanks and the former in particular, caused plenty of problems for Subhasish Bose down his wing.

The match changed after the substitutions. We tried to keep attacking down the left with Jairu but we brought on Amarjit on the right to try to control the ball more.

Prior to the changes, the Red Miners had mercilessly exploited the Islanders’ flaws on the flanks. On countless occasions, Jadhav got the better of Subhasish whereas Farukh also kept makeshift right-back Mohammed Rafique honest for a major chunk of the contest. When quizzed on whether the above was a ploy that was worked upon on the training ground, Iriondo quipped,

We had a plan to attack Mumbai down the sides and we had Aniket and Farukh doing that. However, after all the work they had put in, they got tired and we were forced to bring them off, especially after the work they had gotten through.

Additionally, the Spaniard chatted about how everyone needed to be a tad more careful when making tackles, especially after the incident involving Subhasish. Furthermore, he recalled the injury Sergio Castel suffered against NorthEast United after the striker was subjected to a rough challenge and reckoned that that wasn’t a situation any club would want to undergo.

Thus, at the post-match press conference, there were shades of a slightly defeated man, especially considering that the door had firmly been shut on Jamshedpur’s play-off hopes.

And, though Iriondo tried to bring the positives to the fore, he represented a coach that might already have been planning for the season ahead, in light of the time he reserved for his young guns.