We will move forward, continue to get better: Chennaiyin FC boss Owen Coyle

Chennaiyin FC faced three goals in the game

Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle condemned his players’ work rate but believes that his team needs to be better at finishing after Chennaiyin FC faced a 3-0 defeat to FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

Chennaiyin FC started the game quite positively, but as the match progressed, they were getting faded out by losing ball possession to the Gaurs. Boris Singh Thangjam opened the scoresheet for FC Goa with his brilliant first touch, which finished Jay Gupta’s inch-perfect left-footed delivery into a goal.

The visitors looked better with time as they doubled their lead with Rowlin Borges, whose powerful strike found the net after taking a huge deflection.

The Marina Machans started the second half on a fresh note, as they created numerous goal-scoring chances this half. But their efforts are sometimes denied by either FC Goa’s goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh or by the woodwork. Vincy Barretto, Jordan Murray were all very close to putting their names on the scoresheet, but they narrowly missed the chances.

Coming from the bench, Udanta Singh Kumam wrapped up the game in the 72nd minute with his beautiful strike outside the box that secured all three points for the Gaurs.

Coyle could not believe that the match ended with a 3-0 scoreline. He believes that at the end of the day, the scoreboard did not replicate their efforts.

“If you watched the game, especially in the second half, it was all us. As a matter of fact, we actually started the game as the best team. Rafael Crivellaro with two or three great positions, edge of the box to play Farukh Choudhary in, to play Connor Shields in,” Coyle stated in the post-match press conference.

“So, we lost the game. And this is what happens in football. People just look at the result. That was never a 3-0 game in your life,” he added.

Coyle feels his players need to be more clinical in terms of finishing their shots. Creating chances and opening spaces all went well for his team except for the last touch, which cost them their fourth defeat of the season.

“I think we just need to be clinical, as FC Goa were tonight,” the CFC head coach opined.

“When people look at a result, people just look at the result, and they make their minds up from the result. But if you take the goals out of the game, of course, goals win games, but if you actually look at the play and everything else, as I do, and you dissect it and you analyze it, we weren’t far away from turning (the game),” he added.

Coyle believes that Chennaiyin FC will learn from these setbacks and make a comeback. He wants the team to remain focused and patient to achieve better results. Meanwhile, he also mentioned that his team aims to finish in the top six, overcoming all the hurdles, to give something for their fans to cheer about.

“I think that’s six games now, three home, three away. This league is over 22 games, and for us, what we have to do is to look to improve,” Coyle said.

“The club has been nowhere near where it’s been before, and we have to bring it back to getting those playoffs, and that was all. It was our aim for the start of the season to finish in the top six and give the fans something to be shouting about. And having seen a lot of teams I’ve seen, I’m convinced that as we move forward, we’ll continue to get better,” he further explained.

Before concluding the press conference, Coyle commented on how he is going to utilize the upcoming national break and prepare for their next game against East Bengal FC at home on November 25.

“We know what we’re doing, and incrementally, week by week, we will get better. So, then the national break gives us a chance,” he said.

“For a couple of days, we can go and see the families, and then we’re back at it, and we’re ready for two and a half weeks to get prepared for an important home game against East Bengal FC and look to continue that forward momentum,” he concluded.

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