"Anything can happen" - Jamshedpur FC boss Owen Coyle calls his side 'best team in the country' but wary of Kerala threat

Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle believes all four remaining teams in the ISL will fancy their chances of winning the tournament. Coyle also believes his team have evidently been the best side in the country this season.

The Red Miners clinched the League Winners Shield last week after finishing the league stage in first place with 43 points from 20 matches. Their ISL semi-final opponents Kerala Blasters FC, meanwhile, finished fourth with 34 points. However, Coyle believes the Blasters will still pose a threat when the two sides meet.

Speaking ahead of the first leg of the ISL semi-final between the two sides, the Englishman said:

"Kerala is a huge challenge. We've been the best team in the country as brought out by the points we've gotten, the run we've been on, by all the records. But when you come into a cup competition, which this is, anything can happen in any game. So we're very wary of the opponents who are a fantastic team."

Coyle added:

"I know this is going to be a tough couple of games and they'll know it as well because they know the quality of Jamshedpur. So on any given day, all four teams will feel they are capable of winning the playoffs."

The Jamshedpur FC head coach went on to make his side's ambitions clear, stating:

"But we have shown over the course of 20 league games that we're the best team in the country and that's there for everyone to see. What we want to do is win this playoff tournament and try to do the double."

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"Everybody was winning" - Jamshedpur FC's Coyle opens up on end to the league season

While they finished a healthy five points clear of second-placed Hyderabad FC, Coyle believes his side were pushed to their limits with the other teams in good form. He opined:

"We've been asked to play an extraordinary games in a short period of time. I think we had six games in 17 days and the last three in six days. Every game was a high-pressure situation because we couldn't relax."

The Englishman added:

"As good as the form we were in, everybody was winning. ATK Mohun Bagan were on a 15-game unbeaten run; Hyderabad, Kerala, Mumbai were all winning; Bengaluru was on a nine-game unbeaten run. The run we went on, 10-11 games: we had to do that to go get the prize we all wanted."

Jamshedpur FC have already faced Kerala Blasters four times in the last six months, having played two pre-season friendlies against them as well. Coyle believes these matches have given him a chance to get to know Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanovic better.

The Red Miners boss praised his counterpart, stating:

"I've got to know Ivan [Vukomanovic] really well and have a good relationship with him. He's a wonderful coach and an outstanding man off the field as well."

Coyle concluded by providing injury updates for Jamshedpur FC ahead of this crucial fixture. Komal Thatal and Farukh Choudhary are set to miss this clash due to injuries. Laldinliana Renthlei and Boris Singh Thangjam, who were both substituted in their last league fixture against ATK Mohun Bagan, are also doubtful.

In brighter news, the Red Miners will have Mobashir Rahman back from suspension for the match against Kerala.