Thomas Brdaric: We have strengths and we try to use them

The head coach expresses contentment over collecting three points.

Chennaiyin FC won the first assignment of the Super Cup 2023 against fellow Indian Super League outfit NorthEast United in Group D. The Marina Machans were better in every department, managing to secure a 4-2 win with a convincing performance on Tuesday. Thomas Brdaric was happy with the performance but insists that there is a lot to learn from the game.

He spoke to the media after the impressive win. The head coach also praised his forward Rahim Ali who scored a brilliant brace.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation between the CFC head coach and the media after the 4-2 win over the Highlanders:

Important to bank points

Thomas Brdaric was happier with securing three points than scoring four goals. However, he also talks about implementing the game plan efficiently in the upcoming matches. In this context, he said, “We gained three points today, which is the most important thing in a tournament. The approach is the second most important point, how we implement our match plan.”

Happy with the organization

Responding to how he feels playing in Kerala, Brdaric said, “I like it. The organization is pretty good. The crowd - I like it. It was a full stadium and they were supporting us, which I liked.” the head coach said. He also praised the condition of the pitch and hoped that it stays that way moving forward. 

On the next game

Chennaiyin FC is to play I-League’s Churchill Brothers in their next Super Cup fixture. Talking about that game, Thomas Brdaric said, “The three points are very good. Now, we know that the next opponent is Churchill Brothers. They conceded a defeat in the last minute against Mumbai City FC so they are a chance for them to bounce back and we have to be careful. I am looking forward to facing them in the next game.”

Scoring from set-pieces

All four goals against NorthEast United FC came from set-piece situations for CFC. Talking about if this was a pre-determined strategy, the Thomas Brdaric said, “We have strengths and we try to use them. We have different kinds of approaches. This was one of our opportunities to score. I am happy that we were able to score four goals no matter how and the most important thing is that we learn from our games, how we conceded, so we also have to defend better.”

Towards the conclusion of the interaction, the head coach also praised Rahim Ali for improving as a player and wishes him good health going forward. After all, he leads the line with style for Chennaiyin FC and got two goals for his efforts.