Does not make them vulnerable but even more dangerous: Owen Coyle on facing Grayson-less Bengaluru FC

Coyle also updated on his team’s injuries.

Chennaiyin FC is up against a struggling Bengaluru FC in the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 fixture at the JLN Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. The Blues come into the fixture after a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC which saw Simon Grayson lose his job as the head coach of the club.

Chennaiyin FC’s head coach, Owen Coyle, however, feels that Bengaluru FC players have a point to prove which makes the side dangerous. He also talked about his team’s willingness to play attacking, aggressive football and working on the small details during the pre-match press conference. He was joined by Rafael Crivellaro during the interaction.

Here are the excerpts:

Team News

Owen Coyle gave an update on the injuries to his players before the clash against Bengaluru FC. He said, “We have several injuries. Aakash Sangwan has managed to do some light training but due to the nature of his knee injury, he will not be ready for the game. Rahim Ali as well who started to find his form, will be probably too soon for him. We always want to have a full squad available but we focus on which players are available at the moment.”

Commitment towards playing aggressively

Owen Coyle spoke about staying committed to playing an attacking brand of football and at the same time wanting to stop conceding easy goals moving forward.

“The essence of what we are trying to do is very good. The performance level is high, so we just need to fine-tune the little bits. Ours must be the most exciting team in the league because our games are end-to-end. We commit to being aggressive in our attacking play. Of course, we want to nullify the goals we are giving away,” he said indicating that Chennaiyin FC must stop leaking goals to produce good results.

Bengaluru FC is dangerous

Simon Grayson and Bengaluru FC mutually parted ways recently and Owen Coyle does not think it is an ideal time to play the Blues. He feels that the players will have a point to prove after letting the head coach down who in turn lost his position. Speaking about if this is the best time to face the Blues, Coyle said, “Simon (Grayson) is a really good friend of mine. I have spoken to him since (his separation from Bengaluru FC), it was a wonderful job that he did with Bengaluru FC. When you look at their team, there are five or six Indian national players in the team.”

“It does not make them vulnerable but even more dangerous. From my experience, there must be a lot of players, if they are honest, will probably feel they have let down the coach because of the quality they have.” he further added.

Rafael Crivellaro on seasonal objective

The Brazilian playmaker pointed out how the success of the team relies on the collective performance of the players. He also said that the goal at the end of the season is to be in the playoffs. He was quoted as saying, “I am happy with my performance. I have started to get better with every match. This is not about only one player but about the team. If the team performs, we have the players to play well, we can be the best in the league. We are focused towards securing the playoffs and working hard to be there. This is our main goal of the season.”

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