Why Chennaiyin FC should play an Indian striker up-front?

Chennaiyin FC have failed to score in four of their 10 ISL games this season.

Chennaiyin FC have had a wobbly run in the 2024-25 Indian Super League season so far. The Marina Machans are ninth in the table with 12 points from 10 ISL games.

Chennaiyin FC have scored 16 goals in 10 ISL games this season. However, eleven of these 16 goals have come in the three games that they have won. This leaves Owen Coyle’s side with just five goals from their remaining seven ISL fixtures where they have failed to get the maximum points.

Jordan Wilmar is Chennaiyin FC’s current top scorer with six goals. However, apart from the Colombian none of the other players have scored consistently and this seems to be costing the two-time ISL champions dearly.

Should Chennaiyin FC play an Indian striker upfront?

Jordan Wilmar has failed to score in his last three outings for Chennaiyin FC and this has had a direct effect on the club’s form. Backup striker Daniel Chima Chukwu has also failed to impress having scored just two goals in 10 ISL matches this season.

With their season at a crucial juncture, coach Owen Coyle might have to look at other options to revive CFC’s attack. One option that the Scotsman could consider would be playing an Indian striker to lead the attack.

While playing an Indian striker would certainly be a big gamble, Chennaiyin FC have quite a few quality options that could be decent upfront. The likes of Irfan Yadwad, Farukh Choudhary, Kiyan Nassiri, and Gurkirat Singh can all play as centre forwards.

If the Marina Machans choose to play an Indian centre forward, it could further help them in creating chances. Owen Coyle could employ Connor Shields, Lukas Brambilla, and Elsinho together in the middle of the park. This will help Chennaiyin FC create more goal-scoring opportunities to help the forwards and bring more creativity into the game.

While it is unlikely that Owen Coyle would take such a big risk, the Scotsman could at least opt for this strategy in the second half around the 60th-minute mark if need be. With must-win games coming up against East Bengal and Hyderabad FC at home, Chennaiyin FC need to step up to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Chennaiyin FC have had a lot of success with Jeje as their striker!

Jeje Lalpheklua is arguably the greatest Indian player in Chennaiyin FC’s decade-long history. The Mizo-Sniper is arguably the best example of how lethal the Marina Machans were with an Indian striker upfront.

Having played four seasons with the club, Jeje scored 25 goals and provided seven assists for his teammates. The Indian international helped Chennaiyin FC win the Indian Super League title twice and was also awarded ISL’s Emerging Player of the League award in 2015.

Former Chennaiyin FC manager John Gregory used Jeje’s potential to the fullest. Going against the trend, the Englishman trusted the Mizo striker as his center forward. This helped CFC play with an additional foreign defender and eventually helped them with the 2017-18 ISL title.

There is uncertainty about finding the next goalscorer for the Indian national football team as ISL clubs are not playing Indians in the centre-forward position. Having had success previously, can the Marina Machans once again break the trend and give the Indian football team their next big name? Let me know your thoughts.

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