We have seen a very disciplined JFC side this season they have won matches despite having very low possession. How do you plan to tackle this considering our defense has been a major concern?

They are competing very well. They got six points against very good opponents. I think they are doing an amazing job, they have a very compact team with a lot of balance with the ball and without the ball. They are a very physical team and I think they are very strong team in terms of physical condition. But for us as always, the most important thing is ourselves, we need to put the focus in ourselves. We need to improve. We need to learn about the previous games and we need to be ready for the challenge. We have a good opportunity to play against a very good team at home and let’s see what happens. But we are very excited and ready with this challenge.

Coach, do we have any injury concerns regarding Hugo as we saw in the last match, towards the end he was struggling with something.

We need to check today in the last training session and let’s see what happened but, I am optimistic and I am confident that he can play tomorrow.

Is Saviour Gama Fit for the match?

Sorry, Saviour Gama is not fit for this game.

Roy, in the pre-season you scored a hatrick against Chennai and you scored coming off the bench, so can we expect the Roy Krishna show against Jamshedpur as we saw last season?

Thank you, look last season is last season, this season is a new challenge and of course we didn’t start well but now we have another opportunity to come home and you know win for the fans. So yeah, in football anything can happen and we just need to enjoy the moment and hopefully that can be tomorrow.

Roy, despite having a bad start to the season how do you think this team is as compared to the last season? Do you feel we are missing the intensity and fighting spirit?

Like I said before, last season is last season. First we have to think about the present and the future, and right now our focus is on Jamshedpur and we know we are a good side. We need to believe in every training, even after two losses the training is very good. There’s a lot of positive energy around. everyone is demanding more and yeah you know we can turn it around and like I said hopefully it’s can be tomorrow so looking forward for that.

Odisha had a challenging start to the season with two consecutive losses how are you addressing the team’s morale and ensuring the bounce back in the crucial home match?

We are professionals. We are not supporters, we are not journalists. Not for us everything is Black or White nor they are grey. We need to analyze our games as professionals. As a professional maybe the last season we didn’t deserve to win some games, but when you are winning, everyone is amazing but when you are losing everything is a disaster. For us? No. For us I am very proud of my players, saying that last season, results it’s important because we are professional we are ambitious we’re going to win but the most important thing is to compete in the best level possible. To rectify our mistakes and to learn from our mistakes. Also, I don’t think that last season we were an amazing team and now we are a disaster team. I think we need to try to find the balance. Obviously we can improve because we lost the first two games. We need to be professionals and I am very happy with my players. There is a small possibility to change everything during the games. We need to continue believing. We need to continue working as a family as always in the dressing room, on the bench we are a family and we are working very well and I think this is the way we need to work in the best way is possible. We need to be loyal in our style of play because we are stronger playing like this. I believe, I trust in my players in the same mode the last season because I think, we need to try to win the next game but it’s not about we need to win it’s about how we can win and we need to improve and come out stronger in our home. We were in beating last season uh I know this is the past we need to put the focus in just in tomorrow’s game. But small possibility to change everything and now maybe from your point of view or the supporters I can understand the situation is different but if we would have scored the second goal against Chennai with almost one against one in front of the goalkeeper and scored the one with the Fall chance. This is a small, but we need to put the focus in everything and we can improve as a team during all of the game and we need to do it tomorrow we need to show everyone we are ready for the big challenges. The next three games at home can give to us the position where we are and if we can fight for something or something different. This is the real situation.

Roy, Any message for the Juggernauts, who were very anxious after the first two games.

Keep believing in us. You know we have a team to go all the way and we the 12th man tomorrow and I think that it will be the key tomorrow. Of course results do matter and we can feel you guys. Hopefully tomorrow you guys can push us and be the 12th man and get us the big win.

Coach, How do you keep them motivated after 2 consecutive losses and what’s the team approach?

I think I am lucky because I am working with very good professionals and very experimented players like Roy Krishna. A lot of the players in the squad, they know perfectly how this business is working. They know perfectly when we are winning. We have amazing players and one of the best team in India, but when we are losing we are a disaster. Well I have experience of 27 years in this career. A lot of players are international players and they are with a lot of motivation who want more than us. We want to make the people happy but also we are professionals. To win for us is important but the most important thing is to play under excitement and not under pressure. Depression in the life is probably another thing, it’s not about football. We are playing football, the most important thing for me as a coach is that my players enjoy doing the job. This is the most important thing for me. Obviously when you are working you are enjoying more in the process but when we are losing we need to become stronger as a family. When you have problems in your family, maybe it’s a good opportunity to grow as a family and to become a stronger. And now in this situation I don’t need to motivate my players, my players are motivating me every day showing to me the kind of professionals I am working with, in every training session, in every game. Only I need to support them and we need to be together to try to get what we want this weekend.

Note: This is a transcript of the pre match press conference. Please watch the video of the press conference below: