Following a defeat to southern rivals Kerala Blasters FC, Chennaiyin FC will travel to Salt Lake Stadium to play Mohun Bagan SG, another formidable team. Prior to the journey to Kolkata, Irfan Yadwad and head coach Owen Coyle spoke to the media about Mohun Bagan’s team, the loss to the Blasters, and injury updates.
Injury Updates:
Connor Shields, who missed the last game due to sickness, is back in training, according to Owen Coyle. The head coach stated that Shields’ availability will be determined by his condition following the final training session before the journey to Kolkata. Ankit Mukherjee, who returned to training after being out of action for a month, remains doubtful for the upcoming match. Dinpuia will return after being suspended.
“We let ourselves down a little bit”, Owen Coyle on loss against Blasters
Most of the fans were disappointed by Chennaiyin FC’s 3-0 loss to Kerala Blasters FC in their most recent away game. Owen Coyle said after the loss that “Kerala Blasters ran out as deserved winners,” which is not something any fan wants to hear, particularly during a rivalry match. Owen Coyle discussed the defeat, pointing out that his team let up simple goals and that the game might have been different had the forwards taken their chances to score.
“We let ourselves down a little bit the last time out. In terms of the result, we had big chances in the game at Kerala. To get in front, we had a great chance to equalize. We had a great chance to get in front. Jordan did amazing when he knocked the two boys over with his physique and went through one-on-one. Irfan had a wonderful chance at the back post with a header. But the great thing is these boys are getting into these positions.”
“We gave, from our point of view, soft goals up. There wasn’t any time that, in respect of the goals we lost, they all came from instances when we were well set to defend. But we made individual mistakes within the goals. I think Kerala had four shots on target. The other one was a header that was knocked down. So Nawaz never made a save in the game. But the goals we’re giving up are so avoidable. So, certainly that aspect, we need to be better against Mohun Bagan.”
“Mohun Bagan have a squad of 28 players that would play in the first team for other teams”, added Owen Coyle on Mohun Bagan’s quality
Mohun Bagan Super Giants, a team with an abundance of potential, are currently in second place in the league, three points behind Bengaluru FC with a game in hand. The Mariners have won four of their last five games, despite having a slow start to the season. Jose Molina’s team is undefeated at home this season, having scored 11 goals in that time. Owen Coyle talked about the opposition’s caliber and how they’ve recruited throughout the years.
“They have a huge budget in the league. They have good players. They’re in a good run of form. They’ve got some very good players. If you look through their team, like, they brought Maclaren in, a top scorer of the A-League. Petratos has been an outstanding player in the league. Tom Aldred, I know, from his time back in England. He also played in Scotland. So, you go through their team. I mean, Subhashish, these are wonderful, wonderful players. Sahal has been even on the bench, who I am a huge admirer of. So, Liston Colaco, Manvir. I mean, they probably have a squad of 28 players that would play in the first team for other teams.”
“Greg Stewart, I brought him to India. We know his quality. A number of the boys who play in Mohun Bagan played for me at Chennai. And obviously Mohun Bagan, because of the finance they had, they’re able to come and buy Deepak, Thapa, Vishal. So that’s what happens. But it won’t change us. So, yeah. We’re looking forward to the game.”
“Vishal Kaith must be pushing to be the national (team) keeper”, Owen Coyle on Vishal Kaith
A few players on both teams will find this game of special significance because they will be playing against their old teams. While Thapa, Deepak Tangri, and Vishal Kaith will face Chennaiyin FC, Kiyan and Hnamte will return to Mohun Bagan. Greg Stewart will play against Owen Coyle, his former manager who brought him to India and won the ISL shield together at Jamshedpur FC. Owen Coyle described the growth of Deepak Tangri, the selection of Vishal Kaith for the national squad, and the genius of Greg Stewart as examples of the high standards of these players.
“There are good goalkeepers in the league for sure. But Vishal must be pushing to be the national keeper. With Gurpreet and Amrinder there, there are a couple of others. But, I mean, Vishal has been so consistent and he was outstanding for me in Season 6, when we went to the final. I mean, Thapa is a midfielder and he can play in different positions than midfield.”
“Deepak adds a different dimension. He’s a wonderful team player to have. He was a kid. If you remember, I brought him in. He came off the bench for me. Played a couple of games in Season 6. He was only a young man progressing. But you knew he was going to have a good career. Greg Stewart, with a bit of magic, can turn the game on his own. And he’s a wonderful lad. For all his individual quality, he’s a proper team player. His teammates love him because of what he does. And he wants to win. He has that.”
“You know, we have Hnamte coming in back. We have Kiyan coming back. We want to show they’re really, really good players.”
“There’ll probably be a couple of changes”, Owen Coyle on possible changes for the upcoming game
Owen Coyle said he would make changes after a challenging defeat to Punjab FC. He made four changes before the match against Jamshedpur FC, with the addition of Kiyan Nassiri, Bikash Yumnam, Elsinho, and Vincy Barretto. Owen Coyle has announced that there would be adjustments and that a few players are prepared to step in to help the team’s performance after the team suffered yet another crushing defeat to the Kerala Blasters in the most recent encounter.
“There’ll probably be a couple of changes going in Mohun Bagan now as well. Because, you know, we’ve lost a game, we have to look and think, we’ve got a little bit of freshness in, somebody’s ready to step in.”
“As a team, we need to do more”, Irfan Yadwad on what needs to improve
Even though Chennaiyin strikers have scored sixteen goals in nine games this season, they are currently lacking in creativity and have missed several simple opportunities to alter the results. It is crucial for Chennaiyin FC to be clinical in attack and take their chances when playing Mohun Bagan, a team with a strong defense. Irfan remarked that the players should start playing as a team rather than as individuals.
“We have been doing very good as a team. We are creating more chances in the league. The final thing is we are not contributing as a team. Because we are doing individually good. But as a team, we need to do more.”
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