Jamshedpur FC had agonisingly missed out on a semi-final berth on their Indian Super League (ISL) debut last season as they finished fifth, four points behind FC Pune City.
With the new season beginning this weekend, Jamshedpur, one of the three clubs from the eastern part of the country, will be hoping to make up for their last season's disappointments.
What to expect from Jamshedpur FC
Jamshedpur, owned by Tata Steel, have made all the right noises in the lead up to the upcoming season. They have let go of Steve Coppell and have brought in former Atletico Madrid coach Cesar Ferrando and a lot of Spanish flavour.
Ferrando is an experienced tactician who had led Atletico to a ninth-place finish way back in the 2004-05 season and has worked with the likes of Valencia B and Elche.
He also has witnessed the Asian atmosphere as he has managed one of the continent's much-regarded clubs — Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia in the 2013-14 season.
Nonetheless, all eyes will be on Australia's all-time top scorer Tim Cahill, who has revealed he snubbed quite a few offers before choosing Jamshedpur for ISL 2018-19.
The East Indian side were brilliant at the back, conceding the second least number of goals (18) last season but they were let down by the lack of goals.
With Cahill on board, Jamshedpur will be hoping to improve their performances on the attacking third and launch a serious title bid.
Apart from Ferrando, Jamshedpur also have brought in three Spanish midfielders in Sergio Cidoncha, Mario Arques and Carlos Calvo to add firepower to their frontline.
Michael Soosairaj is an exciting addition to the squad. The 23-year-old Tamil Nadu midfielder was one of the brightest stars to come out of I-League's Chennai City FC.
Jamshedpur FC - Full squad for ISL 2018-19
Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal, Rafique Ali Sardar, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury
Defenders: Tiri, Sanjay Balmuchu, Raju Gaikwad, Pratik Chaudhari, Robin Gurung, Dhanachandra Singh, Yumnam Raju, Karan Amin
Midfielders: Michael Soosairaj, Mario Arques, Pablo Morgado, Vishal Das, Mobashir Rahman, Carlos Calvo, Bikash Jairu, Memo
Attackers: Tim Cahill, Sergio Cidoncha, Gaurav Mukhi, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Farukh Choudhury, Sumeet Passi
Players to watch out for
Tim Cahill
Jamshedpur had scored only 16 goals, the second least among the 10 ISL clubs last season. Poor finishing skills cost an otherwise well-rounded team a place in the playoff.
Cahill's arrival should boost the team's chances of finding the back of the net more often this season. The Australian World Cupper is the only big-money signing in the league this season and he has to deal with the burden of expectations.
With Ferrando insisting that Cahill will be used as an attacker, Jamshedpur fans will be hoping for better performances in the final third this season.
Michael Soosairaj
Soosairaj, who was named as I-League's best midfielder in the 2017-18 season, is known for his creativity and goal-scoring abilities.
With three established Spanish players in the midfield, Soosairaj has the support that he needs to step up and deliver at the ISL.
Having scored five goals and set up umpteen of them over the last two seasons in the I-League, the 23-year-old will certainly be one of the men to watch out for in Jamshedpur.
Subrata Paul
The 31-year-old veteran custodian was literally the pillar of Jamshedpur's defence last season as he conceded only 15 goals in 18 matches and kept seven clean sheets, joint top with Bengaluru FC's Gurpreet Singh.
Paul will be among the leadership group and his combination with captain and central defender Tiri will prove crucial.
