Csaba Laszlo gives update on Anirudh Thapa's return

The Chennaiyin FC head coach addressed the challenge of facing the indomitable Islanders in their next game.

Chennaiyin FC have shot themselves in the foot, having squandered plenty of chances and that has come back to haunt them. Their next game pits them against league leaders Mumbai City FC who haven't put a foot wrong this season. They have been way better than any other team in the league, with the most goals scored and the least conceded so far this season. With their recent struggles in goalscoring, Csaba Laszlo and Co. face a herculean task in breaching this bastion of a defence that the Islanders possess.

As the Marina Machans prepare for perhaps their toughest test against in-form Mumbai City, head coach Lazlo addressed the media ahead of Monday night's game against the Islanders.

Defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan

The two-time champions faced a heartbreaking defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan. The last-gasp winner by David Williams would've punctured the souls of Chennaiyin and Csaba Laszlo made no bones about it. Speaking in the aftermath of the last game, he replied, "It's not nice if you lose the game and especially if you lose it in the last minute.

"I think we were dominating the last few minutes of the game. The spirit is down, but we have to fight back. We were prepared to let them come at us and hit on the counter-attack. I think our tactics worked well till the last part of it (finishing)."

Previous game against Mumbai City

The game against Mumbai City FC has been a futile exercise for many teams in the ISL, who have simply been blown away by the Islanders brilliance and class. Chennaiyin too faced the short end of playing against the Islanders when they lost 2-1 in the reverse fixture. But, the Marina Machans delivered a spirited performance last time out and almost eked out a draw against Sergio Lobera and Co.

"It is a game which would be very difficult against such a good side. But, we need the three points, so we will go for the win. Against Mumbai City FC, we need a stronger mentality. They haven't lost in their last 11 games. We need a win and three points, so it will be a very important game for us. They have had a very good run, they are showing that they are a quality side and we need to match it to break them down. We have to exert more pressure on them to induce mistakes from them," the coach said, addressing the challenge.

Laszlo further added, "In the previous game against Mumbai City, we played very well. We made some individual mistakes from set-pieces which is why we lost. From open play, we played very well and we created a lot of chances against them. We will continue to do so and hope to dominate proceedings. The team needs to show extra energy against a team that is dominating the league, but we want to show that the good performance that we showed in the last game was no accident."

Anirudh Thapa

An important absence during the defeat on Thursday night was Anirudh Thapa, as the talismanic midfielder missed out due to injury. But, Laszlo gave Chennaiyin FC fans reason to cheer as he informed that the two-time AIFF Young Player of the Year was back in training. Speaking on the situation of Thapa, Csaba Laszlo revealed, "He trained with us yesterday. We have another session today, so we will monitor him. He was on the training pitch yesterday and we will take a call as to whether he is fit to face Mumbai City. But, I hope he is fit enough to play."

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