Jamshedpur: JFC will leave for Madrid on August 13 for a pre-season training camp in the run-up to the cash-rich Indian Super League which is likely to begin next month.
With the Tata Steel-owned franchise going for a Spanish coach Cesar Ferrando, the European country was thought to be the best option for the mo-nth-long exercise, a key component for any ISL team to prepare players.
Sources in the JFC said training would be conducted at a high-altitude location and maximum stress would be given on short passes, popularly known as tiki-taka in Spain. Ferrando, during his interaction with the media here recently, had also laid focus on short passes. "Our players will try to adopt the Spanish style of football which will be implemented in the upcoming ISL," one of the sources added.
The team will also play friendly matches with some Spanish clubs.
Jamshedpur Football Club CEO Mukul Choudhari said the players would leave for Madrid from Calcutta and New Delhi in batches. "Some of our players would fly from Calcutta on August 13 and some from Delhi the following day. We are hopeful that the training sessions under Ferrando would be fruitful during the ISL season," he added.
Sources revealed three players of the JFC reserve outfit were also likely to fly to Spain along with the senior side. Gaurav Mukhi , Moba-shir Rahman and Subham Ghosh might be part of the pre-season training as the JFC management was keen on giving them exposure. Rahman and Ghosh recently graduated from Tata Football Academy.
Last year, JFC had conducted their pre-season training in Thailand and also played frie-ndly matches with local clubs, including Chiangmai United FC and Bangkok United FC.
The training stint in Thailand kept the JFC players in good stead and helped the franchise finish fifth in the last ISL season. The team would have made it to the semi-finals had it not lost to FC Goa in a crucial home tie at JRD Tata Sports Complex on March 4.
Sources revealed that head coach Ferrando and his support staff have already lined up a hassle-free training session in Madrid. "The foreign players will directly join the camp," one of the sources added.
