Owen Coyle highlights two ‘key factors’ for Chennaiyin FC ahead of Jamshedpur FC clash in ISL

Owen Coyle’s Chennaiyin FC will face Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Monday.

Chennaiyin FC surrendered a 1-0 lead at halftime to lose 3-2 to Punjab FC on Thursday. The result marked the second loss for the Marina Machans in the 2024-25 Indian Super League(ISL) season as the club will now look to bounce back.

Next up for the two-time ISL Champions is the game against Owen Coyle’s former club Jamshedpur FC. The Men of Steel will themselves be looking to return to winning ways after suffering a humiliating 5-0 loss to NorthEast United last week.

Chennaiyin FC manager Owen Coyle addressed the press before the game against Jamshedpur FC. Here’s what Owen Coyle said.

On the Budget of Chennaiyin FC and if they can compete with high-spending clubs

Owen Coyle was asked about the club’s budget and if they can compete against the heavy spenders in the ISL. To this, Owen Coyle replied, “Wherever you go, Whatever country, There are big clubs. If you go to Spain, you have Barcelona and Real Madrid, two iconic clubs. You go to Scotland, you have Rangers and Celtic. When you go to England, you have four or five huge big clubs”.

Owen Coyle continued, “Let’s say in India, some clubs spend more than others. It doesn’t guarantee success, but what it does is it gives you a better chance because what they do is they spend money on really big players. For example, they buy the Indian internationals, the big foreign internationals. But we each have a different model and this is the thing I think which is good.”

Talking about his ISL Shield-winning campaign with Jamshedpur FC, Owen Coyle said, “I can speak about this because we did it before at JFC. We showed that a club with a smaller budget can still be champions. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s shown when you get good people eating the right bits and if you put them all together, then you can do that.”

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Are ISL clubs focusing on tried and tested foreign players?

Lucas Brambilla was the only foreigner that Chennaiyin FC signed from another league this summer. The likes of Daniel Chima Chukwu, Elsinho Dias, and Wilmar Jordan Gil were signed by other ISL clubs. Owen Coyle was asked if this has become a trend as some ISL clubs have followed the same roadmap.

To this, Owen Coyle said, “There are a couple of reasons for that. There is always a challenge culturally and with the weather – the heat and the humidity and if this has an affect on the players. If they can fit into your budget, then of course it’s a value addition to get those players.”

Giving an example about his players, Owen Coyle said, “Let’s take Daniel Chima Chukwu, he won the ISL Shield with me at Jamshedpur FC. I watched him play last season, he was an outstanding striker but clearly, he wasn’t getting the support he needed.

I certainly felt that if I brought my team back, the support, the creative players then Daniel will be outstanding for us. The same can be said about Wilmar Jordan Gil. Both players in total have given us seven goals so far.”

Giving Elsinho as an example the Chennaiyin FC manager concluded his answer by saying, “Another important thing is having foreign players that adapt and if they can play a couple of positions. So if you have players like these, it helps.”

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