Chennaiyin FC head coach Csaba Laszlo provides update on Chhuantea's knock

The Romanian reacted after his side's goalless draw against Kerala Blasters.

In their second game of the 2020-21 Indian Super League campaign, two-time champions Chennaiyin FC were held to a 0-0 draw by South Indian rivals Kerala Blasters. Both sides were left to rue missed opportunities after a scrappy game was defined by a lack of cutting edge and quality at both ends.

The Marina Machans were hit by an injury to Lalchhuanmawia Fanai just before half-time. The left-back was replaced by Jerry Lalrinzuala for the remainder of the match. Chennaiyin FC head coach Csaba Laszlo put a few fans' minds at ease in his post-match press conference, when he confirmed that the defender’s substitution was nothing more than a precaution.

“It will be okay for the next game, definitely. He had a mere cramp. We did not have enough time for preparation. I hope that everything will be okay.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_zimA6f_XI

Before the game, the Romanian asserted that he wanted his team to control the match against the Kerala side. However, individual errors and poor performances saw little in the way of consistent control. While the Marina Machans were dominant, they never looked secure in defence.

The head coach insisted that he was happy with the way his side imposed themselves on the game, despite scares from Kibu Vicuna’s men. “You can’t control for 90 minutes, but for a majority of the game, we controlled the game. We had, in the first 15-20 minutes, good possibilities to score. We didn’t. We made some mistakes," he quoted.

“But, generally, in the second half, we came out, changed a little bit the system. I think we controlled and we also got the penalty. Unfortunately, we missed," added the coach.

Csaba Laszlo also assured the fans that his side would capitalize on their chances in the coming games and would not live to regret missed opportunities. “It is sure that you do not win every game. Generally, we have very good and fast players. They can use their pace. We have to shoot more on the target. If you don’t shoot more on the target, you can’t win the game. In the next game, we will start high, we will start like how we started, but we have to shoot more on the target.”

In the second half, CFC saw their foot ease off the gas, with sloppy passes and passages of play becoming more common. However, Csaba Laszlo was stubborn in his claims that despite their lack of penetration, their defence offered little in the form of clear-cut opportunities to Kerala.

“In the second half, to be honest, I did not see any opportunity from the opposition. Not even a shot on goal, nothing. I think after we changed the system, we were in the right way to win the game.

Finally, the newly-appointed coach sung the praises of Deepak Tangri, who has been a revelation in midfield for the Marina Machans this season.

“Today, who impressed me completely was Deepak. He has not played too many games in the ISL. But, he did a fantastic job in the central defensive midfield. I want more Deepaks in my team.”

Chennaiyin FC’s next fixture comes against Bengaluru FC on the 4th of December at the GMC stadium in Goa.