Our tactical condition is improving every game, beams Bozidar Bandovic

The coach praised individual performers and also his side's game-by-game improvement

Chennaiyin FC climbed into the playoff spots courtesy of their 2-1 win against Odisha FC. Bozidar Bandovic's side dominated the game and won rather comfortably, despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise.

Chennaiyin took the lead in the 23rd minute when Germanpreet Singh smashed in from point-blank range. The midfielder shot from the edge of the six-yard box, off a poor clearance from Kamaljit Singh. The two-time champions had plenty of chances after the goal, but couldn't capitalize to put daylight between them and the Juggernauts.

That changed when Mirlan Murzaev unleashed a stunning strike to double Chennaiyin FC's lead just past the hour mark. Javi Hernandez matched Mirlan's strike for Odisha, but it would only prove a consolation towards the end of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4uVmFBt1g8

A chuffed Chennaiyin FC head coach Bozidar Bandovic spoke to the media on his side's performance after the game.

Individual performances

Chennaiyin FC's goalscorers produced a great game overall and their contributions were duly praised by Bandovic. Speaking on Mirlan Murzaev, he replied, "Very satisfied. I'm very happy to win the game and his goal was excellent. I knew he could do it as he has done it before. We know with his quality he can do better because he is a very good player."

Bozidar Bandovic also praised Germanpreet, who scored the opener and produced a solid game in midfield. "Very good from German. It is very important for us. We will need everybody to do well, but I think he had a very good game," Bandovic added.

All was not rosy on the night though, as it was sour grapes once again for Lukasz Gikiewicz. The Polish striker missed a great opportunity to open his account in the ISL, as he missed a late penalty. Although it didn't dent his team's result, the missed penalty would've certainly exacerbated his situation in front of goal.

But, Bandovic continued to voice his support for the out-of-form forward. He positively asserted, "I will support him as we did with Vishal (Kaith) from the last game. He will be okay. Of course, he is trying to do his best. "

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Flourishing full-backs

One of Chennaiyin FC's strongest performers have been their full-backs. The duo of Reagan Singh and Jerry Lalrinzuala has brought all their experience and energy to the team.

They've made 174 ISL appearances between them and have struck a chord on either flank. The two have provided an average of three crosses and one chance created per game respectively. Therefore, they add more width and pace to the strong Chennaiyin FC attack under Bozidar Bandovic.

The former Buriram United coach credited their work-ethic as the reason behind their success so far. He beamed, "We have been working all this time, trying to explain to them what we want (them) to do in attack and in defence. The boys have been responding very well. We have very good communication with them. They listen very well, they observe during the game and they are trying to do what we ask them to do."

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Positive outlook on result

A win obviously puts a lot of positives on the forefront. But, Bandovic took a levelled approach to the result. He credited his side's work-rate, but also warned of lapses in concentration.

Bandovic too acknowledged a few shortcomings while praising his defence's overall performance. The coach stated, "I think our defence is doing very well. Of course, they had some shots and also some set-pieces. At times, there were long-balls as well. We will observe some of the areas where they got in that we didn't want them to. I also don't like that we conceded the goal like that. But we are building a good, new team and this is part of the process. As a team, I think we played very well tonight."

"As the team is creating many more chances we have to score more goals. I think the team's tactical and physical condition is improving every game and this is what is more important," Bandovic concluded before calling it a night.

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