Jamshedpur FC returns for their 3rd season in ISL after two consecutive 5th placed finishes in the league. However this time they have yet another new manager in charge, Antonio Iriondo. The Spanish coach who has years of managerial experience in Spain and has helped his former side Rayo Majadahonda to two promotions, will take helm of the Tata-backed side in the hope of guiding them to a first playoff qualification
SQUAD
- Have surprisingly let go off most of their best players from last season
- Have opted for a combination of experience and youth during their recruitment (only 1 of their 11 signings are between the age of 25-30; 5 are 24 or below & 5 are 31 or above)
- The inexperience of the Indian players in the squad might be a concern
PRE SEASON RESULTS
TACTICAL SYSTEM
- Iriondo’s preferred formation, just like Jamshedpur FC from last season, is a 4-2-3-1
- Sampling 10 games of Iriondo’s previous club Rayo Majadahonda, there was an average of 482 passes played per game. Similarly, there was an average of 478 passes per game in Jamshedpur’s last 10 games signalling close similarity in the current coach’s playing style and Jamshedpur’s possession-based playing style from last season
Expected lineup (4-2-3-1): Subrata Pal; Robin Gurung- Joyner Lourenco- Tiri- Keegan Pereira; Memo- Isaac Vanmalsawma; CK Vineeth- Piti- Noe Acosta; Sergio Castel
KEY PLAYERS
#4. Tiri (CB)
- Last season the Spanish centreback captained the side, featuring in all the Jamshedpur matches and missed only 10 minutes in total, helping the side keep 5 clean sheets
- During his ISL career he has had a total of 792 successful defensive actions at an average rate of 2 successful defensive actions per game
- However, considering last season alone his average rate of successful defensive actions per game rose to 14.78
- Another aspect he has worked and improved on is his passing- his average pass accuracy across all season is 74.8% and the pass accuracy in 2017/18 was a mere 59.9%; but last season he had a passing accuracy of 3%
- As shown in the plot below, he is among the top players in the league when it comes to clearances, interceptions and touches per 90.
- With Joyner Lourenco expected to become a settled partner for Tiri this season, Jamshedpur FC can be expected to be a solid defensive unit
Tiri- Key Stats (2018-19 season)
#7. Piti (AM/ CM/ LW) 
- The 38-year old comes with loads of experience playing in the Spanish top flight
- Last featured for Greek top division side PAS Lamia
- Can play anywhere across midfield and even as a second striker offering versatility and at the same time offers a lot of creativity
- For his previous club he featured in 13 games since signing in January out of which 7 of them were starts
- He had a passing accuracy of 75.83%, attempted 33 dribbles per 90 and attempted a very impressive 15.59 challenges per 90
- Is a set-piece specialist and likes to take shots from outside the box
Piti Goals Data
SPORTSKPI WILDCARD PLAYER
#8. Amarjit Kiyam (CM)
- The former Indian Arrows midfielder has been a revelation in recent months
- His performance for the Senior National Team has gained a lot of plaudits
- He is currently out due to a broken arm but will be expected to be back in contention after the first 2-3 matches
- Can be expected to slot into the 2 man midfield alongside Memo thus offering more freedom for Noe Acosta and Piti
- As inferred from the graph below, his most impressive skill set is his passing range and a passing accuracy around 83%, which is among the best for any Indian midfielder across both ISL and I-League last season
Amarjit Kiyam (2018/19 I-League Season)
SEASON PREDICTION
- Playoff Possibility: Unlikely
- Jamshedpur FC will definitely be a team that would be fun to watch but this time it feels like they lack the firepower and bench strength to push for a playoff position
Article by our Senior Football Analyst – Mishal Thanveer
