ISL: "Every goal we conceded tonight were avoidable," says Jamshedpur boss Owen Coyle

Despite valliant efforts, Jamshedpur FC suffered their first defeat of the season as they went down 4-2 against the defending champions Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League on Thursday.

Owen Coyle addressed the media after the defeat and spoke about his team's performance and the mistakes that they have made. Here is what he said at the post-match press conference.

Thoughts on his team's performance in the first half

Jamshedpur FC was totally outplayed by the Islanders in the first two-quarters of the game. The visitors looked completely out of focus as they were down by three goals inside the opening 25 minutes.

When asked about his team's performance in the first half Coyle stated, "Mumbai City is a very strong side and I think we should have more possession of the ball. The goals we conceded in the first half were so avoidable". "They scored through our mistakes only and the mistakes were self-inflicted" he added.

Message to the team during the halftime break

The Men of Steel produced a spirited display in the final half. They pulled two goals back inside the opening fifteen minutes of the second half. The manager revealed what he said in the dressing room during the halftime break.

He said, "The break was very important. I said my players to focus to get the next goal but that doesn't mean that we needed it within five or ten minutes". The Gaffer opined, "I knew the game would be open again when you score the next goal. And that's exactly what we did in the second half."

On why Valskis (Nerijus) started on the bench

Jamshedpur forward Nerijus Valskis was left on the bench against Mumbai City FC. When quizzed about the absence of the star striker Coyle replied, "Valskis was not fully fit."

Coyle further went on to say, "(Jordan) Murray and Len (Doungel) were also not fit for the match. We got three days to prepare for the ATK Mohun Bagan game and only two days for the Mumbai game".

"There were the two best teams from the last season and I think we have shown our spirit against them. We'll now try to pick ourselves up from here," remarked Coyle.