"It’s not the level that I want"- Chennaiyin FC coach wants to see improvement for ISL clash against Odisha FC

Chennaiyin FC suffered their first defeat of the 2021-22 ISL season against league leaders Mumbai City FC. They will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Odisha FC tomorrow in their next match.

Coming into the match against Mumbai City, the Marina Machans were the only unbeaten side in the league. However, that record was leveled by a disciplined display from Mumbai City.

Chennaiyin FC head coach Bozidar Bandovic addressed the media in his virtual pre-match conference. He talked about building team chemistry but also having to strike a balance in the squad's fitness by rotating the players. Bandovic said:

"If you see the first three games, we almost played with the same team - I want them to play together and learn to do it better. This is a short competition, so we cant do much training as there are games after every 3-4 days. However, if I keep playing with the same players, they will not be able to maintain a good physical level. So we rotate them as well."

When asked about the fitness levels of his players in general, the Chennaiyin boss said:

"Of course, it's not the level I want. They have known that since the first day and have worked on it. It's become better but we can do more."

Bandovic also revealed his plans for rotation. He said they are likely to use a group of players for some consecutive matches before giving them an extended rest. It will also allow his team to change the way they approach the competition and will leave their opponents guessing.

The Chennaiyin FC gaffer experimented with a 3-5-2 formation against ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC. When asked whether the change in approach was to suit the difficulty posed by the opponents, he said:

"It was not about beating another team. No, I wanted to see if the team can function by changing the system. The players responded very well."

The Chennaiyin FC boss also spoke about the fluidity in his set-up where the movement of players matters more than their formation.

"I wanted to change and play with two forwards (against ATKMB and MCFC). We didn’t change the whole system. For me, it's not the system or the starting position - it's the movement of the players."

Bozidar Bandovic praised his team's approach in their last two outings given the threat posed by their opponents. He feels his side were deserving of their point against ATK Mohun Bagan and could have come back with something against Mumbai City as well.

"For me, every game is difficult" - Chennaiyin FC gaffer wants constant vigilance

Chennaiyin FC will be locking horns with Odisha FC next, who are coming off the back of a thrashing against Jamshedpur FC. Bandovic emphasized the importance of every game in the competition irrespective of their levels. He said:

"For me, every game is difficult. You have to approach every game with full concentration because this is what we need."

When asked about the threat from Odisha, the Chennaiyin FC boss said:

"They are a good team. They have some very dangerous players in set-pieces that we need to be careful of. Our defence needs to be careful. They also have some individually talented players. Those players can cause us problems so we have to be ready for it."

Bozidar Bandovic has praised goalkeeper Vishal Kaith's performance and has backed him to start for the next game despite errors from past outings.