It’s teams that win you titles: Coyle
The way the side has rolled back from the international break has been incredible and nobody will take us lightly, says CFC’s head coach
Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle made it very clear that the club’s redemption in the latter half of the Indian Super League (ISL) this season will force teams to not consider it a pushover.
“The way we’ve rolled back from the international break has been incredible and where we are with our merit, nobody will take us lightly,” he told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.
The Marina Machans reached the knockouts after four years this season. The last time it did so was also under Coyle.
“We’re not spending a huge amount of money that big clubs do, which though doesn’t guarantee success, certainly helps to get ready-made players.”
“Ours is a dierent model — getting young players, developing them and growing as a club. The sense of achievement on reaching the playos after so many years shouldn’t be underestimated because this is a club that (once) had (Anirudh) Thapa, (Vishal) Kaith and (Lallianzuala) Chhangte and still couldn’t make it to the playos,” Coyle added.
Chennaiyin FC, after its 0-1 loss to Hyderabad in early March, pulled o
Coyle, with Vincy Barretto, was the coach when Chennaiyin last made the knockouts.
three consecutive comeback wins, against Mohun Bagan Super Giant (3-2), Jamshedpur FC (2-1) and NorthEast United FC (2-1), eventually sealing a playo spot after Punjab FC beat East Bengal 4-1 on April 10.
“It (the form) showed that we have a tremendous drive to win games. That’s a huge thing to have in your armoury because individuals can do bits of magic. It’s teams that win you titles,” Coyle said.
On Saturday, it faces FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa — the team Chennaiyin had beaten 6-5 on aggregate in 2020. Interestingly, it was here that he won the ISL League Winners Shield with Jamshedpur FC in 2022.
“People talk about omens. I hope that’s right because, in Season 6, we
were playing against arguably one of the best teams ever in the ISL, with (Mourtada) Fall, (Ahmed) Jahouh, (Hugo) Boumous, Coro, (Carlos) Pena and Mandar (Rao Desai). And we took care of them.
“So (now) we go there knowing it is a one-o game and we will do our best to win,” Coyle said.
Chennaiyin’s mid¡eld talisman Rafael Crivellaro, who has seven goals and four assists this season, echoed the same sentiment, saying, “In my previous stint here, we almost won the ¡nal but in football sometimes, one goal changes everything.
“Now, I’m looking forward to starting from zero in the playos. Against FC Goa, we need to do our best and everything is possible.”