Be more clinical and direct, Csaba Laszlo tells players

The Marina Machans' head coach expects a tough game against the Men of Steel, but expressed confidence in his side's chances in a do-or-die encounter.

Chennaiyin FC head coach Csaba Laszlo spoke ahead of his side's crucial game against Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League on Wednesday. The Marina Machans face a do-or-die situation and must simply win all their remaining games to keep themselves in contention for the playoffs. A defeat though could well put them out of the reckoning.

"Won't give up on our targets"

They also face their remaining games against teams that are in the mix for the playoffs spots. Speaking on the chances of qualifying and the competition for the playoffs, Csaba Laszlo said, "We won't give up our target of being in the top four as long as the possibility is there. Tomorrow will again be a very important game for us and Jamshedpur.

He added, "On the other hand, we have to realize that we have created the most number of chances, but have also missed most of them. So, I'm asking my players to be more clinical and direct. I don't want to see which position the opponents are in because, I think this season any team is having the possibility of making and not making the playoffs. We will be looking to get the three points, but it is going to be a very difficult game. I always respect our opponents and I want us to go for the victory."

Pressure Mounting

Csaba Laszlo would be facing the heat along with the players and addressed the pressure situation. He insisted on taking it game-by-game and getting the three points on Wednesday night. "We have the players and we trust our players. We try to play the same style of football that we play. We've been on the levels of our opponents and in the games that we drew, we were closer to the win than our opponents.

"So, it is about scoring now and getting the three points from this game tomorrow. I don't want to talk much about the other games, I want to focus on this game against Jamshedpur," he opined.

Jamshedpur's threat

Further, the Romanian gave a respectful opinion of his opponents on Wednesday, who are of course led by the man who coached Chennaiyin to the final last season. When asked of Jamshedpur FC, Csaba Laszlo answered, "I think they are in the similar position like us. I know Owen (Coyle) very well and he knows my team. I think they were unlucky and lost some important games. Tomorrow it will be a game where both teams will go for the victory.

"They have some really good players, especially in defence like Hartley, who I know from my time in Scotland. He is a very good organizer in defence and is dangerous in set-piece situations. I feel Jamshedpur are a strong, compact team. I have respect for Owen and the job he has done so far."

Substitutions in previous game

The coach made a rather puzzling change in the previous game when he brought on Germanpreet Singh in the second half, despite Chennaiyin clearly needing options upfront. Csaba Laszlo explained, stating, "We wanted to add German in the midfield because we already had (Manuel) Lanzarote, who was playing in the No. 10 role and he needed support.

"I think we attacked even better once German came in and it was our luck that we didn't win the game. So, it wasn't like German played in midfield in a defensive manner. It didn't influence the team in a negative way, as I think we created chances in the game even after he came in."

Lastly, the coach indicated the potency of the Men of Steel from set-piece situations and warned his team to guard themselves against the likes of Nerijus Valskis, Peter Hartley and Stephen Eze, who have proven to be potent options in dead-ball situations.

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