ISL 2019-20 | Plan is to keep ball for 90 minutes so ATK cannot touch it, reveals Antonio Iriondo

ISL 2019-20 | Plan is to keep ball for 90 minutes so ATK cannot touch it, reveals Antonio Iriondo

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Jamshedpur FC coach Antonio Iriondo has stated that he would want his players to keep the ball for 90 minutes in order to negate hosts ATK’s chances of creating and scoring. The Spaniard also hailed the progress of forward Farukh Choudhary over the past two months, stating that his future is bright.

An unbeaten Jamshedpur side would be travelling to Kolkata to face a stern ATK side, who has hardly shown any signs of weakness so far in the league, winning two of their three matches. With a star-studded side, most of whom are seasoned players of the ISL, Iriondo has acknowledged that he has a good idea of whom they would be up against.

“We know we are playing against a great team. It’s a very serious team, and when I say serious, I mean they really want to play. They have a lot of quality in the team. I know the head coach (Habas) as well. They are a very attacking team. Also, they have some great players who have played here for a while,” said Iriondo in the pre-match press conference, reported ISL website.

“That (5-0) match is in the past. Every match is different. So, we will try to leave an impression. We are focused on our next match and the result we can get. We have a plan. The plan is to keep the ball for 90 minutes so they cannot touch it. But we aren’t sure if it is going to work yet,” he added.

While the Indian clutch of players in the JFC squad has been exceptional, young Choudhary has been the stand apart with his exceptional work rate upfront, which has been all the more helpful for Sergio Castel to ply his trade as the centre-forward.

Hopeful Iriondo’s chances in the national team, the Spaniard said, “I can tell you that Farukh has grown a lot in the last two months. He is improving quite fast and if he keeps improving this way then he will definitely play for the national team.”

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