Prior to Chennaiyin Fc’s match against Mohammedan SC, head coach Owen Coyle and full-back Ankit Mukherjee spoke to the media. Following a frustrating 2-2 tie against Odisha, in which they should have won all three points, Coyle discussed the result and his thoughts on the following game, as well as providing injury updates on important players.
Owen Coyle on Mohammedan SC:
Mohammedan made history by winning their debut ISL match against Chennaiyin FC. Even though things haven’t gone smoothly since that win, Andrey Chernyshov’s team is gradually beginning to demonstrate their quality. In their last three league games, they’ve held three clean sheets and earned five points, including a win over Bengaluru FC. Owen Coyle showed respect for the other team while emphasizing the importance of winning the game.
“We know what’s at stake. We know they’ll be difficult opponents. They’ve been a difficult team for teams to beat. They showed the other night that they can win games as they did winning in Bengaluru. It was a fantastic result for them. So they feel good about themselves. They’ve got some very good players. The two lads in the middle of the park are very good footballers. Ogier, at the back, being an outstanding player in French football. Very good foreigners. And they’ve signed a new striker as well to add to the Brazilian lad they’ve got who works so hard for his team. We’re very respectful of that. And they have very good domestic players.”
“We give them the utmost respect. But it’s a game that we’re looking forward to. We know when we’re at our best, we can win games. That’s what we have to do in the run-in now for the remaining games of the season. So we go to Mohammedan excited about the game, looking forward to the game. Being really positive, trying to win a tough game.”
Owen Coyle on Injuries:
Ryan Edwards was absent from the most recent match versus Odisha due to illness. According to Owen Coyle, the coach himself got the disease prior to the match versus Mumbai City, and he struggled for over two weeks. Elsinho, like Ryan, has been out of action for the previous few weeks owing to a horrible head injury sustained against Hyderabad. Coyle said he is still awaiting final clearance from the experts to include Elsinho in the matchday squad, even though he has resumed training.
“Ryan Edwards, still a doubt for Mohammedan. It might come too soon for Ryan. I’m hopeful that I get the written permissions today from the specialist with regards to Elsinho. Bikash received 10 (stitches), even the other night. Ankit has to come off at half-time as it was a little bit tight (hamstring) as a precaution. But with that said, I would expect that everybody else is fit and healthy and ready to play the game.”
Owen Coyle on ambitions for the season:
As the season began, the Marina Machans had great hopes for the squad, wanting to improve on their sixth-place result from the previous year. However, Chennaiyin FC have been quite inconsistent this season. Despite their victories over teams like Northeast United, Odisha, and Jamshedpur, they have suffered defeats to Punjab and Mohammedan and have lost several games because they gave up soft goals and failed to hold onto the advantage. Owen Coyle spoke with the media about the club’s goals for this season following a difficult start.
“The key for us is starting to win games. At this moment in time, would you take being in the top 6? Absolutely. But there’s work to be done. We know we should be closer even from the Odisha game. We know that. When you start to run out of games, you must start to get wins and start to get them together. And that’s what we have to do. So it’s very clear for us.”
“We need to be really positive. Go to Mohammedan and give a big performance. Look to win the game. And then look to try and build that from there. That’s the nature of football. But we’ve always shown that we’re strong characters. We have a strong mentality. And we know how to win games, particularly at the business end of the season. That’s what we have to do.”
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