"The coach never lets us put our heads down" - Rafael Crivellaro delves into Chennaiyin FC's difficult start to the ISL 2023-24 season 

Owen Coyle’s return to Chennai certainly sparked a surge of optimism among the Chennaiyin FC faithful. This renewed sense of hope came after several disappointing seasons and was further uplifted when Rafael Crivellaro announced his return to the club.

Coyle and Crivellaro are remembered fondly at the club, largely thanks to their impact during their incredible run-in from the bottom half of the table to the finals of the ISL back in 2020.

However, in their absence, the team’s fortunes took a downturn, with Chennaiyin FC finishing outside the top six for three consecutive seasons.

Rebuilding the team from scratch is undoubtedly a huge task, made even more challenging by the fact that the Marina Machans are currently rock bottom of the ISL standings, with no points to their name after three games.

Moreover, they have only managed to score one goal, courtesy of Crivellaro’s exceptional free-kick against Mohun Bagan SG, while conceding seven.

The present situation seems dire, but the two-week international break certainly arrived at the right moment for Coyle and his men, affording them the time to reflect on their struggles this season.

Chennaiyin FC played two friendly matches against I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC during this break, with Coyle opting to experiment with his squad. Consequently, the team secured convincing victories in both games, with scorelines of 5-2 and 6-0.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Crivellaro emphasized the importance of this break and how the wins against Gokulam Kerala FC have notably boosted the team’s confidence.

"This two-week break was a positive for us", he said. "The coach is trying everything possible to fix the problems and to make the team play better. He (Owen Coyle) tried different things to improve the set-up and these two victories against Gokulam Kerala FC were a positive sign. However, now we have to move forward to the ISL to try and perform at that level."

Amid these challenging circumstances, Crivellaro stressed the importance of focusing on reducing mistakes and making gradual improvements with every game.

In this interview, the Brazilian midfielder also delved into his role within the club, the atmosphere in the dressing room after a difficult start, and the significance of building momentum in the ISL.

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Here are the excerpts from Sportskeeda’s interview with Chennaiyin FC's Rafael Crivellaro.

Question: First and foremost, what prompted your return to Chennaiyin FC, and could you share your experiences in your second stint with the club so far?

Crivellaro: Owen (Coyle) contacted me and I was very happy to join again to work with the club and with him. We know we didn’t start well but we are working on that. I’m sure we can come back and perform much better than what we are doing at the moment. It was not the start everyone were expecting but I think we can bounce back.

Question: You’ve had some injury issues in recent years with a few setbacks. But do you sense an improvement in terms of fitness after a full pre-season?

Crivellaro: I feel much better. Even last season when I moved to Jamshedpur FC, I played all the games apart from one or two matches. I don’t think much about the injuries and setbacks because it was two years ago. But I’m happy I can be here and show the people I can still perform at the top level.

Question: How do you look at your role on the pitch in this current set-up? Do you feel it is quite different from your role the last time you were here under Owen Coyle?

Crivellaro: Of course. Every year you have different players and different set-ups. You cannot compare one team with another because every season is not the same. We are building something new here, there are a fresh set of players and a new coach.

So we are trying our best to perform better as soon as possible, start winning games, and gain momentum. In this league, everyone has the confidence to get one over the other.

Question: When evaluating this season, what do you feel has gone wrong for Chennaiyin FC so far?

Crivellaro: We are making mistakes and throwing the game away. We started well against Odisha FC, and maybe if we scored one or two goals, the result could have been different. This happened again against NorthEast United while it was not easy to create chances against Mohun Bagan SG.

As a team, we need to be more focused to not concede chances to the opposition. We also have to score first because then it will be difficult to bounce back and you have to work hard to try and change the result. The team is working to be more compact and together to not concede goals.

Question: How have the morale and emotions been inside the dressing room after three consecutive losses?

Crivellaro: It’s a difficult start and I cannot say otherwise. The players are not content with the situation. But the coach never lets us put our heads down. He’s positive and tries everything to keep the morale of the team as high as possible. We are working to fix the problems and bounce back to get some points on the board.

Question: It was a similar situation back in 2019 when Chennaiyin FC were struggling before Owen Coyle took over and turned around the form. Do you think the team can take inspiration from that comeback?

Crivellaro: In the ISL, you have to start gaining momentum. We did in the 2019/20 season and Bengaluru FC did the same last year. The main focus now is to start getting points on the board.

We know it’s always hard when you suffer defeats but as soon as we can get the points, the morale of the team and the confidence will grow. Then it’ll be easier to secure points later in the season and I feel we can do that.

Question: You have worked with the likes of Lallianzuala Channgte, Anirudh Thapa, and Vishal Kaith before. Currently, the club has some promising young Indian talents like Jiteshwor Singh, Ayush Adhikari, Samik Mitra, and Aakash Sangwan, among others. What has your experience been like working with them, and have they made a positive impression?

Crivellaro: Chennaiyin FC always have this quality of developing young Indian talents with high potential. The names you mentioned are not there yet but maybe in one or two years when I speak about them, they could be at the level of Thapa, Chhangte, and Vishal (Kaith). They certainly have the quality and need to work on that to achieve that level.

Question: The next two games are against teams (Hyderabad FC and Punjab FC) who are also yet to win a game. Are those games a must-win for Chennaiyin to have any hopes of finishing in the top six?

Crivellaro: Every match is important and very difficult. You don’t have any easy games in the ISL. Every team fights to get points and I think it will be a difficult game against Hyderabad FC and Punjab FC. It’s not because of their place in the standings but they will fight more for the points as we are trying to do. I’m looking forward to it and feel positive that we can get three points.

Question: Finally, what message would you like to convey to the fans with three consecutive home games on the horizon?

Crivellaro: I just want to thank them because they always support us and I know they will continue to do so. They are special and are always in the stadium to back the team despite the results.

I request them to keep doing the same because they are very important and will help us on the pitch. So, it will be positive in the next three home games to help the team get these three points.