Thomas Brdaric: I like to be here, the journey continues

Chennaiyin FC coach talks about the game against NorthEast United FC.

Chennaiyin FC will be taking on NorthEast United FC tomorrow (24 February) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. This will be the last game for CFC in season 9 and shall look to finish the season on a high in front of the home fans. The Marina Machans beat NorthEast United (7-3) in the previous fixture with El Khayati scoring a hattrick. A win here will enable Chennai to finish on 27 points and maintain its current position in the points table (eighth spot). 

The pre-match press conference was attended by head coach Thomas Brdaric and striker Kwame Karikari.

Thoughts on Thapa’s performance this season

Anirudh Thapa was appointed the captain ahead of the season. He suffered from an injury at the start which made him sit out for most of the matches in the midseason. Overall the captain could score only one goal.

The head coach opined, “Thapa is a potential player and has a lot of load on his shoulder playing in the national team as well. He did not play much in his preferred position and never complained about it adapting to the team.”

Things that went wrong this season

The defence has been a major issue for Marina Machans this season. Also, the coach did not have the luxury of all foreign players being match fit on most occasions.

Brdaric said, ”We had many opportunities but failed to utilize them. We have to learn from our mistakes and move forward. We have been competitive like all the other teams and had the opportunity of taking all three points in most of the matches.”

Preparations ahead of tomorrow's match 

Chennaiyin FC is set to take on NorthEast United FC tomorrow in the last league match and a win here will help them finish on 27 points in the points table.

47-year-old iterated, “The preparations haven't changed much. We are professionals and want to inflict a defeat tomorrow in front of our home fans. NorthEast has improved and it will be a challenge to beat them.”

Plans for the future with regard to youngsters

Thomas Brdaric has given good opportunities to youngsters to showcase their talents. Jiteshwor Singh, Vincy Baretto, Gurmukh Singh, and K.Prasanth are the few players whom the coach trusted. Chennaiyin FC will like to make use of the youngsters in the upcoming matches (Super Cup) and the next ISL season. 

Thomas Brdaric said, “Everything needs a bit of time and we have to be patient. Only those who have patience and know the way will have a target. We know the target where we have to go. We could have got better this season and players too got enough game time in building up and we trusted them. Apart from the youngsters we need foreign players to perform well and overall, everyone needs to play well.” 

Experience being in India and will the journey continue with CFC 

The head coach on his future commitment said, “Yes, the journey will continue (smiles). I like to be here and have got good support. I do not want to waste time but rather fulfil tasks -improving the players and showing them ways to move forward. In future, I want to win trophies and win matches in a row. We are now ready to play in the Super Cup.”