ISL 2024-25: Chennaiyin FC Season Review

Chennaiyin FC had a disappointing ISL season, picking up just three home wins in 12 league games.

The playoffs of the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) season are set to begin on 29th March as Bengaluru FC will play Mumbai City FC in a knockout game. However, one name that has missed out on the bus to the playoffs is the two-time ISL Cup winner Chennaiyin FC.

The Marina Machans have had a season to forget, as they finished 11th in the league with 27 points from 24 ISL games. Expectations were high among the Chennaiyin fans after a busy 2024 summer transfer window, but Owen Coyle’s side never spread their wings as they struggled for consistency.

Fact Sheet for Chennaiyin FC

• Position at the End of the Season: 11th
• Number of Games Played Total: 24
• Victories: 7
• Draws: 6
• Defeats: 11
• Total Goals Scored (GF): 34
• Total Goals Against (GA): 39
• Overall Points: 27

Top Performers

Connor Shields

For a second season running, Connor Shields has been the best player in the Chennaiyin FC squad. The Scotsman finished the league stage with one goal and eight assists in his name, and he also created the most chances among everyone in the league.

Owen Coyle employed Connor Shields in the midfield as the chief set piece taker for the Southern club. Apart from creating chances, the 27-year-old covered every blade of grass for his side, constantly running up and down the pitch for the entire game.

Irfan Yadwad

After a slow start in the ISL during the 2023-24 season, Irfan Yadwad made amends and added another dimension to his game this season. The 23-year-old played as a winger for Owen Coyle’s side, scoring five goals and providing four assists to his teammates.

Just like Connor, Irfan helped his side in both attack and defence and was arguably Chennaiyin FC’s best Indian player this term. Owing to his brilliant performances at his club, the forward has also made three appearances for the Indian national football team.

ALSO READ: ISL 2024-25: Kerala Blasters FC Season Review

Under-performer of the season

Ryan Edwards

The Chennaiyin FC captain was one of the best defenders in the 2023-24 ISL season. However, given his standards, illness, injuries, suspensions, and individual errors ensured that Ryan Edwards had a season to forget this term.

In 19 ISL starts, Ryan Edwards kept just two clean sheets while playing for 90 minutes. He also picked up five yellow cards and one red card, missing key games where his team missed their leader.

Top performances

Jamshedpur FC 1-5 Chennaiyin FC

Chennaiyin FC 5-2 Jamshedpur FC

Odisha FC 2-3 Chennaiyin FC

East Bengal 0-3 Chennaiyin FC

Managerial Report Card

A host of signings before the start of the campaign elevated the expectations, given that the team had made the playoffs last season. However, halfway into the season, it became evident that Chennaiyin FC might fail to make the top six.

Owen Coyle’s side relied on creating chances from the wings and through set pieces. This became a problem against teams that played a low block and did not let Chennaiyin FC put many crosses into the box.

For much of the season, Owen Coyle preferred to play a single central defensive midfielder alongside Connor Shields and Lukas Brambilla. This led to a midfield overload when the opponents would head into counterattacks, putting much pressure on CFC’s defence.

Regarding the defence, Chennaiyin FC’s season was ruined due to multiple defensive errors, which effectively ruined their campaign. Keeping only four clean sheets, two of which were against a struggling Hyderabad FC side, says the story itself.

To make matters worse, Owen Coyle lost the fans’ support at home after crucial losses against Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters. The Supermachans even took to social media, targeting the CFC head coach and the team’s management for a forgetful season.

How can Chennaiyin FC improve?

Chennaiyin FC will likely continue with Owen Coyle as their head coach next term after the Scotsman’s contract was extended for another season in October 2024. Hence, additions would have to be made to support Coyle’s tactics.

The Marina Machans have conceded 77 goals in 47 ISL games under Owen Coyle in the last two seasons. This ratio of conceding 1.64 goals per game is alarming, and hence, signing quality centre-backs and defensive midfielders is the need of the hour for the two-time ISL Champions.

In addition to this, Chennaiyin FC needs to sign better wingers to assist in the attack. Owen Coyle could consider playing a foreign winger with Irfan Yadwad or Farukh Choudhary upfront, as the Marina Machans are one of the clubs that can afford to play an Indian attacker upfront, which would, in turn, also help the national team.

While Lukas Brambilla has had an on-par season, signing a better creative midfielder could also add more creativity to Chennaiyin’s attack, as they have looked clueless in some games when Owen Coyle’s “Plan A” has failed to work.

The upcoming Super Cup will also better indicate Owen Coyle’s position at the club. With many fans demanding a new manager, the club may consider pulling the trigger on their head coach if CFC gets knocked out early in the cup competition.

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