ISL 2023-24: Chennaiyin’s resurgence will force teams to take it seriously, says head coach Owen Coyle

Chennaiyin FC, after its 0-1 loss to Hyderabad, won three consecutive matches against Mohun Bagan, Jamshedpur and NorthEast, sealing a playoff spot after Punjab FC beat East Bengal 4-1 on April 10.

Owen Coyle guided Chennaiyin FC to the knockouts after four years. | Photo Credit: Focus Sports / ISL

Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle made it clear that the club’s redemption in the latter half of the Indian Super League (ISL) this season will force teams to not consider it a pushover.

“The way we’ve rolled back from the international break has been incredible, and where we are with our merit, nobody will take us lightly,” he told  Sportstar in an exclusive interview.

The Marina Machans reached the knockouts after four years this season. The last time it did so was also under Coyle.

“We’re not spending a huge amount of money that big clubs do, which though doesn’t guarantee success, [but] certainly helps to get ready-made players.”

“Ours is a different model – getting young players, developing them and growing as a club. The sense of achievement on reaching the playoffs after so many years shouldn’t be underestimated because this is a club that (once) had (Anirudh) Thapa, (Vishal) Kaith and (Lallianzuala) Chhangte and still couldn’t make it to the playoffs,” Coyle added.

Chennaiyin FC, after its 0-1 loss to Hyderabad in early March, pulled off three consecutive comeback wins against Mohun Bagan Super Giant (3-2), Jamshedpur FC (2-1) and NorthEast United FC (2-1), eventually sealing a playoff spot after Punjab FC beat East Bengal 4-1 on April 10.

“It (the form) showed that we have a tremendous drive to win games. That’s a huge thing to have in your armoury because individuals can do bits of magic. It’s teams that win you titles,” said the Scotsman. 

On Saturday, it faces FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa – the team Chennaiyin had beaten 6-5 on aggregate in 2020. Interestingly, it was here that he won the ISL League Winners Shield with Jamshedpur FC in 2022.

“People talk about omens. I hope that’s right because, in Season 6, we were playing against arguably one of the best teams ever in the ISL, with (Mourtada) Fall, (Ahmed) Jahouh, (Hugo) Boumous, Coro, (Carlos) Pena and Mandar (Rao Desai). And we took care of them. So (now) we go there knowing it is a one-off game, and we will do our best to win.”

Chennaiyin’s midfield talisman Rafael Crivellaro, who has seven goals and four assists this season, echoed the same sentiment, saying, “In my previous stint here, we almost won the final, but in football, sometimes, one goal changes everything.

“Now, I’m looking forward to starting from zero in the playoffs. Against FC Goa, we need to do our best, and everything is possible.”