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Chennaiyin FC are poised to make their long-awaited return to the Marina Arena, where they will lock horns with rivals Kerala Blasters FC on Friday, February 16.
After an inconsistent start, Chennaiyin have further plummeted down the ISL table with three consecutive defeats. Presently positioned 11th, they trail NorthEast United by five points, who currently occupy the final playoff spot.
It appears that the team’s confidence has dropped after the recent setbacks, but Owen Coyle remains optimistic that they can improve their results in the following weeks, especially with six home games remaining.
"We certainly don’t enjoy losing a game as we did in Bengaluru, but we tried to understand the reasons for that, and look to get better," Coyle explained during the pre-match press conference.
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"When anybody loses a game, it’s a setback, but when you look a bit deeper, we have played more away games than anybody in the league."
"At the moment, we stand to play six home games in eight weeks. If you look at our form, we had our best spell when we had home games in October and November," he added.
Kerala Blasters have themselves struggled to get going since the turn of the year, suffering four consecutive losses across all competitions. Head coach Ivan Vukomanovic has been under pressure, yet despite the results, Coyle expressed admiration for the Serbian.
"I think Kerala Blasters have done very well with an outstanding coach. They’ve been terrific and part of that is because they’ve had continuity. In fairness to Kerala, their level of work this year has been outstanding despite losing one or two players. Of course, they might be in a bit of an indifferent form, but we know they have very good players," he said.
The last encounter between these two teams was an intense, high-tempo affair, resulting in a stalemate with both sides scoring three goals each. The Scottish tactician certainly believes that this upcoming clash could also be very open.
"I expect two very attack-minded teams going to win the game. We need to win for our aim of achieving the top six and Kerala need to win to be back in amongst the very top. I think this will make a fantastic game, as most of the ISL games do, given everybody’s playing for something. But when you get a punch in the nose, losing at Bengaluru, you have to look to bounce back quickly," he added.
Good things in football take time to build: Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle
Chennaiyin FC have changed their strategy numerous times over the past five years, with their last appearance in a knockout game dating back to 2020. The club have faced several setbacks recently while witnessing consistent improvement from their rivals.
Coyle emphasized the need for patience, stressing the importance of focusing on long-term goals. But he also asserted that the team will be competitive in upcoming matches and highlighted the necessity of defensive improvement to secure a place in the top six. He commented:
"In football, there’s always gloom and doom. The people who have been in the game for a long time see more than just what a result is. They see what’s involved in the whole scheme of things, what you’re looking to build. It was never about a quick fix. That’s why I signed a multi-year deal. Like most things, good things in football take time to build.
"But for the short term, for our fans, we want to make a real push into that top six. To do that, we have to perform well at home and certainly have to accept that we need to be better defensively. We’ve always shown that we could score goals against anybody up until the last few games, and that’s something we need to correct as well."
The January transfer window also stirred discussion, with teams around Chennaiyin bolstering their squads while the Marina Machans only secured the signing of Mobashir Rahman on loan from East Bengal FC.
Coyle explained that although he was interested in several players, the club was cautious about signing players over their value.
"We have a different type of model and when you look in January, the teams went and spent exorbitant amounts of money. But that’s been part of things since season six when they changed the number of foreigner’s rules from five to four players. What it did was give an increased value to Indian players, so hthe agents and the others came to thrive on that.
"Going back to the January window, there was a number of players that I was interested in. But truth be told, what was asked in terms of salary and different stuff, I didn’t think it was particularly fair. I have to protect the interests of our club," he concluded.
Former Kerala Blasters FC midfielder Ayush Adhikari joined Owen Coyle at the press conference. He believes that although the team has done well, the margins at the top level are extremely tight, and they are striving to improve their performances. He said:
"It’s good to be back home, but of course, it’s not a good feeling when you don’t get a win. As a team, we always go to the field with a winning mentality. And to be fair, if you look at the matches, we created our chances as well. It’s been small details that has made a difference. We are working on that to close those small errors and get back to winning ways."
Coyle also confirmed that, for the first time this season, he has a fully fit squad to choose from, with Cristian Battocchio returning to training after an injury.
