Owen Coyle: Part of any head coach’s job is to believe in the players

The Marina Machans need to win against the Blasters to keep their playoffs hopes alive.

With the season coming to a close, the fight for the last spot in the top four has seemingly turned intense with as many as thhree teams staying in contention to grab the fourth spot and make it to the playoffs. After an emphatic win over Jamshedpur at home, Chennaiyin FC travel to face Kerala Blasters in search of a win. Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle addressed the media in the pre-match press conference in Kochi.

Coach's Corner

Owen Coyle’s appointment proved key in the revival of Chennaiyin’s hopes of making it to the playoffs this season. He shared his thoughts on the process that took place at the club. “Any coach would tell you they would love to have a pre-season. When you implement your ideas, always important to assess very quickly the strengths of our squad." "We were at the bottom of the league, written off with no chances for the playoffs. Looking at the league table then, I think that was a fair comment”. “We had to find a way to win games because draws were never going to be enough. We needed to get three points and try to climb the league and we managed to do that. We are pleased but not happy, there is more room for improvement." "When I looked at the players we had, I felt we were really strong and positive. Kerala have to win tomorrow night, we know that, they know that. But, we also have to win for our own aspirations. We’re here to try and win the game and that’s what we’re looking to do.” “From the training sessions, I recognized we have quality, we have good players. I felt we needed to give them some confidence, some belief, some trust. As a coach, you can give some knowledge, experience they can pick up. I think if there’s any credit due, it’s to the players, I love working with them."

On the strikers finding their feet

Owen Coyle said, “Part of any head coach’s job is to believe in the players. You can’t score at every chance you get. I had a career as a striker. I’ve scored 300 goals, but I’ve probably missed even more. I was never afraid to miss and I said that to them. If we miss it’s fine, we’ll get the ball back and we go again. You’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing; you’ve got to play the game with a smile on your face."

On Kerala Blasters FC

The Scotsman is aware of the threat that Kerala Blasters possess in attack and is keen to keep them at bay. “We have to do it again tomorrow against good opponents, dangerous opponents because of their situation that they have to win. We’ve shown that we can defend well." "Both teams have terrific attacking players, (Raphael) Messi Bouli, (Bartholomew) Ogbeche. We are well aware of the threat they pose and we have to make sure defensively, we are ready for that challenge. We respect the opponents, but we also know that if we are at our very best, we can win the game.”

On the fight for the playoffs spot

Owen Coyle was asked about his thoughts on where the team would finish in the standings, he said, “There are teams fighting for that fourth spot, which makes that a really exciting end to the season and it’s one to be looking forward to. When I say the top three are in those spots, doesn’t mean they have nothing to play for. I would take my team against any of them if you have to play them." "We are still due to play against Bengaluru and ATK. I’m looking forward to those games and we’ll find out then if there’s a gap or not. We want to be in the mix to try and to get that fourth spot. it’s going to be a fascinating end to the season.” “I’m trying to reach the playoffs. We were totally written off and I understand that, we were bottom of the league, there was so much to do but we’ve shown. That’s the great thing about football, when you can build momentum in football, it can take you to fantastic places. The game against Kerala is like a cup final for me because both teams know they have to win." "Every game I’ve watched, I see Kerala fans everywhere, I love that, it’s so colourful and vibrant. The fans get behind the team and it’s rightly true that they are the twelfth man. I’m looking for a marvelous footballing occasion and we have to make sure we come out with three points,” Owen Coyle concluded. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Team News

There are no new injury concerns in the squad.

Head-to-Head

Both teams have faced each other 11 times, Chennaiyin FC have the edge over Kerala, having won four times. Kerala have just two wins in this fixture.

Probable Lineup

Kaith, Renthlei, Sabia, Goian, Lalrinzuala; Vanspaul; Thapa, Crivellaro, Chhangte, Schembri; Valskis.

Broadcast

The game will commence from 7:30 PM IST on Saturday evening. It will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD. It will also be available to stream on Hotstar and Jio TV.