"We were very competitive with all the ISL teams" - Chennaiyin FC coach Thomas Brdaric on club just missing out on playoffs

Chennaiyin FC coach Thomas Brdaric reckons his side competed well with every team they faced in ISL 2022-23. He feels the Marina Machans missed out on qualifying for the playoffs only due to their inability to take some of the opportunities that came their way.

Brdaric's comments came ahead of Chennaiyin's final game of the season. The two-time ISL champions will host bottom-of-the-table NorthEast United FC at the 'Marina Arena' on Friday (February 24).

Even if the Machans win the contest, they will end up with only 27 points, three fewer than the 30 they need to take the final playoff spot. While it's a marked improvement on their previous two campaigns, many feel the team could have made it to the knockouts given the way they played.

Brdaric also indicated that his side could've been in the playoff equation given their performances against some of the best teams. Chennaiyin suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at League Shield winners Mumbai City FC and held last season's champions Hyderabad FC to a 1-1 draw in Gachibowli. They notably took a 1-0 lead in both games. The Machans were also up 2-0 against Mumbai at the 'Marina Arena' before losing 6-2.

The coach said in a press conference ahead of Chennai's clash against NorthEast United:

"We had a lot of opportunities, but we missed a few. This is what we have to be better in in the future. In the future, there will be (similar) situations; we have to be prepared to face them. How much a player wants to invest for the future: this is the question."

He continued:

"Not everything was bad. We were very competitive with all the ISL teams. When I look back, I can see which teams we had positive and negative stats against. Only against Mumbai, we didn't take points and even in those matches, we had our chances.

"This gives me a pretty good feeling about the next step. Everybody wants to improve and give something back to the investments we have made."

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"In the future, I want to catch trophies" - Chennaiyin FC's Thomas Brdaric

While Chennaiyin FC's ISL 2022-23 campaign will end on Friday against NorthEast United FC, their season will not be over. The Machans will compete alongside all ten ISL teams and five from the I-League in the Hero Super Cup, scheduled to begin in April.

Brdaric stressed that his side are focused on Friday's clash but believes they can be a threat in the Super Cup. He also reaffirmed his desire to stay with Chennaiyin for the long term, saying:

"In the future, I want to win trophies, win games and grow. If everybody has this understanding, we can get success in the next season. But next season is far away. We have objectives for tomorrow's match plus the Super Cup.

"I am convinced we can play a good role in the Super Cup because the team is in good condition. Unfortunately, we woke up a little too late to catch the momentum on our side (in the ISL). But we can't be disappointed. We know that we will have ups and downs, and we learn from those times."

Brdaric was full of praise for the Marina Machans' loyal fans for backing the team throughout a difficult campaign:

"I'm here to stay positive all the time and take out the positive things - there are a lot of those. That's why I'm looking forward to the match tomorrow in front of our spectators - a big appreciation for them because this season was tough. But they saw how the players fought and played. We created a lot of opportunities to score, but we have to defend better."

Chennaiyin will notably be without star foreign players Petar Sliskovic and Nasser El Khayati against NorthEast United due to injury.