Owen Coyle – We’re actively trying to boost the squad!

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Chennaiyin FC, coming off a loss to Bengaluru FC in their last encounter at the Marina Arena, will host Sergio Lobera’s Odisha FC as they look to turn the season around. Things haven’t been going so well for the Marina Machans this season, and the Juggernauts’ recent performance has been concerning as well. Prior to the game, head coach Owen Coyle and goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz addressed the media about injury updates, a leaky defense, and the winter transfer market, among other topics.

Injury Updates:

Chennaiyin FC player Elsinho in training
Elsinho is back in training after suffering an head injury against Hyderabad FC.

Owen Coyle revealed that a few players will miss the next game owing to illness (viral fever). He also stated that Ankit Mukherjee is back in contention to start games. About Elsinho, the head coach stated that although the Brazilian has trained fantastically, the specialists’ approval will determine whether or not he is available for tomorrow’s match.

“Odisha have a lot of champions in their team”, added Owen Coyle on the opposition

At Kalinga Stadium, Chennaiyin FC defeated Odisha 3-2 in the season’s opening match, breaking the club’s stellar home record under Sergio Lobera. His team had a poor start to the season but has performed admirably since then, except for the last four games, in which they have only won once. With twenty points from fourteen games, the Juggernauts are now five points ahead of Chennaiyin in seventh place in the standings. While expressing respect for the opposition, Owen Coyle maintained that his team is capable of defeating anyone when playing at its best.

Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera
Owen Coyle praised Sergio Lobera but insisted his side can beat anyone if they are at their best.

“I think first and foremost, you always look at the opponent, you’ve got to be very respectful of the opponents. Sergio’s a good friend of mine and an outstanding coach. So you know you’re playing against a quality team. I mean, you look through their team. They’re top, top players. A lot of champions in their team. Very, very good team. So there’s no doubt about that. Equally, we know we’re capable of beating them. We’ve already done it. And that’s what we need to do again. We need to get to that level. If we’re at our best, we’ve already played them, we already know that we can beat them. But we need to be at our best.”

“We can’t blame the players because it’s a team game”, insisted Nawaz on individual errors

Soft goals and individual errors have been the primary causes of Chennaiyin’s poor defensive record this season. Despite making several excellent saves and not committing a mistake since stepping into the starting lineup, Nawaz has only kept one clean sheet in eight outings. Individual errors made by the Chennaiyin defenders at different points during games have been largely to blame. Both Owen Coyle and Mohammad Nawaz emphasized the importance of eradicating them and bouncing back strongly.

“When we concede goals with a silly mistake, it’s difficult for us. We can’t blame the players as well because it’s a team game. So we correct ourselves when we go for the next match. We don’t have many problems when we make individual mistakes because everybody makes mistakes and what we can do is that we forget that and work on the next day. We try to improve and look forward not to do. The important thing is playing together. Like, no matter what my teammate is doing, if he’s not playing well, we need each other. So we encourage each other and yeah, we improve together”, added Nawaz.

Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz
Nawaz spoke about how important it is to support teammates when they make mistakes.

What we’ve done is we’ve made individual mistakes. That can happen to anybody. We’re making terrible individual errors. So the bottom line is we eradicate individual mistakes where we can. We have to concentrate first and foremost on what we’re doing to eradicate the mistakes that we’re making. Because what we know is when we eradicate our mistakes, we can stand toe-to-toe with anybody in this league. And if we are, then that will lead to winning games. And when you win one, then you go and you build and you get that momentum. And that’s what we have to do. It’s very simple“, added Owen Coyle.

“We’ve our model, and we have a certain ceiling in what we do”, added Owen Coyle on players signing pre-contracts with other clubs

Chennaiyin FC has failed to extend the contracts of its best players in recent seasons, allowing them to go on a free transfer without receiving anything. Players like Vishal Kaith, Deepak Tangri, and Aakash Sangwan are among those on the list. Additionally, Bikash Yumnam and Jiteshwor Singh are probably going to leave the team on free transfers this season. Bikash has reportedly inked a pre-contract agreement with rivals Kerala Blasters, and a few clubs are interested in signing Jiteshwor for free. When discussing the situation, Owen Coyle argued on the increase of Indian players’ salaries.

Bikash Yumnam in action against Mumbai City FC.
Bikash Yumnam is reportedly set to leave Chennaiyin FC on a free transfer to join arch-rivals Kerala Blasters.

“When we had seven foreigners, and you could play five when they reduced that to four on the field, what happened was the Indian players became far more valuable. There’s a smaller pool of players to choose from, but you needed an extra Indian to start games and agents and different things then realized, oh, we can now increase the value of the Indian player. You look back, and people say, you had Vishal, Thapa, Chhangte, and Deepak. Last year, Akash. But the offer that Goa made Akash, was an incredible offer. One that would be far in excess of, in terms of our model, what we could do. I love Akash, he played every game for me.”

“That’s a challenge that we all face. As you know, I don’t mump and moan about that. That’s not what I’m about. We’re at a brilliant football club. You’ve got to understand what your model for your club is. Can it be frustrating? Of course, it can. Because if you think about the players, the aforementioned players, if it’d be financially possible to get them all together, then what a team you’re sitting with. So that’s just a challenge in football for us. But we don’t run from it. We’d love to keep those players where we can. That’s just a challenge for the football club.”

“January window is always a difficult window”, emphasized Owen Coyle on the winter transfer window

Following Chennaiyin’s defeat against Bengaluru FC, Owen Coyle appeared frustrated, claiming that some of his players do not represent how he wants his Chennaiyin squad to play. He also stated that he will be looking for deals during the January transfer window to see if he can get one or two players to the club. Maheson Singh, formerly of Punjab FC, has already signed with the club. Owen Coyle discussed the types of players being considered and what the team will be bringing in this transfer window.

Owen Coyle
Owen Coyle spoke about the profile of players Chennaiyin FC will be looking to bring in the January transfer window.

“The January window is always a difficult window because clubs are reluctant to let good players go. So more often than not, you’ll find that maybe a fringe player, somebody who’s a really good player, they’re maybe not playing for a reason. So we’re actively trying to boost the squad where we can. Obviously, it has to come in within our parameter and what we do. But yeah, we’d like to freshen up with one or two, for sure. We have a very small squad.”

“We probably need, a couple of fresh and certainly squad players. But again, with the way we work and our model, then there are obviously going to have to be young, exciting players that we think we can develop. But we’re certainly trying to do that. It’d be nice to freshen up. Whether it’s possible, we’ll keep trying, for sure.”


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Shyam Sundar
Shyam Sundar
A youthful, diehard supporter of the Indian Football Team and Chennaiyin FC. Before the Lockdown, I didn't often watch Indian football! I occasionally kept up with the Blue Tigers, but not consistently. But ever since the lockdown, I've become really interested in Indian football. I may not have a background in journalism, but Indian football is something I am really passionate about.

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