You don't have to be biggest spenders to have success, asserts Chennaiyin FC boss Owen Coyle

This will be Owen Coyle's second stint at Chennaiyin FC

Chennaiyin FC players and staff face an adrenaline surge as they are all prepped for their opening game of the ISL 2023-24 campaign away to Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday. They finished eighth under Thomas Brdaric with some spirited displays featuring the likes of Nasser El Khayati and Petar Sliskovic.

However, they are desperate to move back into the top order and challenge for the titles as they roped Owen Coyle back in. The Scottish manager last plied his trade with Jamshedpur, helping them win the League Winners’ Shield before moving to Queen’s Park. He was joined by rapid striker Connor Shields who followed him to the ISL. The newly appointed head coach attended the pre-match press conference, answering the media ahead of their opener. 

On the mood in the camp ahead of the game

After an undermining few seasons, Chennaiyin FC's reappointment of Owen Coyle stated their intent. The manager waived that away and instead chalked the mood of the camp up to the overall excitement that comes with the beginning of the league. He further stated:

“Yeah, I think everybody is excited to start the new season like every other team in the country. Obviously, we have a tough game away to Odisha who’ve invested heavily and who are overall an excellent club. But we’re looking forward to getting in with the excitement - like we saw last night in Kerala, with Kerala (Blasters) and Bengaluru (FC). So now with all our preparation during the preseason, we’ll be taking that to the league. We’re excited to move forward with it and we aim to do our very best as always.”

On a disappointing Durand Cup campaign and the journey since then

Chennaiyin FC exited the Durand Cup in the group stages in what seemed to be a fall from grace for the three-time ISL winners. The Scottish tactician talked about their progress since then as he revealed:

“Yeah, I think we’ve, like most teams did, used the Durand Cup as a pre-season. We obviously didn’t have anything near the squad that we have now with two foreigners available for each game. But obviously, the qualities in our squad should continue to develop and grow. Now it’s a matter of us stepping up. I’ve said earlier that the longer the season goes, the better we will be. Because obviously I’ve just come in and inherited a group of players. True, I have the players I asked for available at my disposal, and I’ve gotten to know my players better as well. Week by week we get better and we’re looking forward to that. But we believe that we can perform at our best and we are capable of winning. 

"About Odisha, it was very disheartening the way they had the game in the AFC. But they’ll be feeling good getting the minutes under their belt. Another thing was that there was nothing in the game until the sending-off. The game against Mohun Bagan was a very very tight one. Obviously with Mourtada(Fall) receiving the yellow they found themselves up against their opponents with 10 men. So prior to that, they performed very well. So there’s a lot of respect for them.

"I know Sergio (Lobera) very well. Huge amount of respect and he’s also someone who I’ve been getting along very well with. So, that said, he knows as well as I do, that for the duration of the match, we’ll be doing nothing but our very best to win for our respective clubs. And there are no special techniques because we triumph by playing well and winning games. That’s what we set out to do.”

On second stint with Chennaiyin FC

The manager is no stranger to the Marina Machans, having already been their saviour earlier. He holds a special place with the fans for leading them all the way from pit-bottom to the final in the 2019-20 season. However, Coyle was extremely humble as he thanked his luck for allowing him to have such a rich journey as he mentioned:

“Listen I’ve been very fortunate and very blessed to have had huge success in this league. Obviously, what we did with Chennaiyin FC when they were languishing in the bottom half of the league, and truth be told not one day goes by when I tell myself we could’ve won that final. Then obviously going to Jamshedpur and being the best team in the country and that’s the other thing. While in this country, there are big clubs everywhere you go. There are clubs that spend a huge amount of money and can invest and do it. But it doesn’t guarantee anything. It helps but it doesn’t guarantee anything. I showed that with Jamshedpur; a club with a small budget that had never been in the playoffs. We did it by a margin of five points when we broke the point record (most wins on the bounce). 

So what that does is it gives real hope to the rest of the league that it’s achievable. You don't have to be the biggest spenders in the biggest teams to have success. And again, Chennaiyin FC is definitely among those big spenders. We obviously invest what we can but it’s more on young players. I’ve been known to give young players a chance and develop them and that’s what I’ll continue to do. So we’ve got a good mix with Connor(Shields) and the other foreign boys that came in. Normally good footballers are good people and that’s really important. Because our strength will be as a group and won’t be in the individual players as good as they are. It’ll be as a group and that’s what we have to continue to develop and grow. 

With regard to that Sergio is an outstanding coach. He’s a champion and he’s come to a fantastic club in Odisha. They have great infrastructure, and they get backed by the government because the state is a hub of all kinds of sports. That’s also what I’d like all over the country if it’s possible. So, we know we’re in for a tough game for sure. There’ll be good players and a terrific coach but they’ll know equally well that we don’t come to not win games. We don’t set out to play for draws and we come to win games so that’s what we’re trying.”

On the season being a very competitive one with the likes of Carles Cuadrat, Sergio Lobera, and himself back in the league

East Bengal signing Carles Cuadrat and Odisha bringing back Sergio Lobera already pitch two former ISL winning coaches against each other. Add to that last year’s league winner, Des Buckingham, ISL trophy winners Juan Ferrando and Manolo Marquez and you have an explosive mix. Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle is no stranger to that list with his Jamshedpur side winning the League Winners’ Shield in a stellar 2021/22 campaign. He concluded:

“Yeah, I think you’re right and all the coaches in the league have such a high pedigree. Guys that’ve coached at a very very high level. But it would be with the help of both the coaches and the players that they will eventually be able to cross that line. We can help, we can impart knowledge, wisdom, and whatever phrase you would want to use. But ultimately, it’s the player that has to do it on the field. That’s what it is like in the ISL. It’s a tense season and it’s only getting better every year. I think the pool of Indian players are growing because of that development which can only be good for club and country. That’s exactly where we have to continue improving and continue with the young Indians coming in to have breakout seasons. 

Again, having breakout seasons is not enough because they have to keep doing it consistently. One that we have lost and is a perfect example is (Anirudh) Thapa. When you break out, don’t be a one-season wonder. Continue growing and developing and eventually help the national team as we go. So yeah, I think there’s a lot to be excited about in the league. They’ll all feel that everybody will be in their best form to fight for the trophies. The only way we can do that is by performing well and winning games but as we know every game is a tough one in the league. I’m gonna reiterate this; we have to be at our best because I think Odisha FC will be a very very good side this season. We’ll have two very attack-minded teams going all-out to win a game for the respected fans.”