Sergio Lobera and his brigade hope to break down Jamshedpur FC’s defense in the Steel City as both teams square off at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24. Coaches with a reputation for succeed typically want to assert their authority early in their tenure. There have been very few tacticians with a more illustrious résumé than Lobera in the Indian top-tier league. His return to the country with Odisha FC was highly anticipated, but the team got off to a shaky start, losing twice in the first six games. The battle for the top spot in the ISL table is of slight margins, dropping eight points (W 3, L 2, D 1) may have put Lobera in a tough spot.
However, the Spaniard must be brimming with belief in his boys after they brushed aside Mohun Bagan Super Giant by a brilliant 5-2 margin in their AFC Cup encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday. With five different scorers getting their names on the sheet, will this be the victory that fuels the surge of this Odisha FC season? Let’s find out.
The Red Miners have conceded only seven goals this season. Their inefficiency moving forward is the root cause of their troubles thus far. Jamshedpur FC was won five times against Odisha FC in ISL history and also netted 19 goals against the Bhubaneswar-based club. Lobera has historically struggled against Jamshedpur FC, with only two wins in seven encounters. Jamshedpur FC should be wary of letting any good chances come their way.
The key should be to replicate that in the league level so that they can succeed concurrently at both the national and Asian stages. Manzorro has recorded a 90% dribble success rate in the ISL Odisha FC did not win against the Mariners in Kolkata in the AFC Cup. They held total control over the proceedings against one of the strongest sides in the country.
The winger Jerry Mawihmingthanga has been sharper and involved in a greater capacity in the final third ever since Lobera took over the reins at Odisha FC. Diego Mauricio has scored four goals, the most by any player, in the fixture between Jamshedpur FC and Odisha FC. In the pre-match press conference, Scott Cooper, the Jamshedpur FC tactician, said, “You can’t always expect your team to keep clean sheets. We defended well in the last game but a little bit of fatigue got in towards the end.” Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera reflected on his team’s win ahead of their ISL fixture against Jamshedpur FC.