ISL: Chennaiyin FC eye to ‘finish strong’ ahead of home tie against Punjab FC, says Coyle
Chennai, Feb 14 (IANS) Sustaining their momentum and avenging their earlier defeat will be on the agenda when Chennaiyin FC welcome Punjab FC to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday for their Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 clash.
The Marina Machans put a difficult run behind them by getting back to winning ways in their previous match against East Bengal FC. The chance to extend that run and turn it into a final push toward the playoff will also bring the opportunity to requite their early season 3-2 defeat against Punjab, a team which is a spot and three points ahead of Chennaiyin in the league table.
Speaking about his team’s playoff hopes in his pre-match press conference in Chennai, head coach Owen Coyle said, “You’re motivated for every game you play. What we have to recognise is that had we replicated our away form with our home form, which we should have, we’d already be in those playoff positions. But, we want to finish strong. We have three home games to finish the season, we want to take them one at a time and make sure we reproduce the performance we gave last week.”
“There have been some very fine margins, but that’s the nature of the sport. We don’t get the chance, again, to field the same back four as we had in the previous game, but we want to finish strong and put a smile on the supporters’ faces,” he added, confirming later that Laldinliana Renthlei and PC Laldinpuia will miss the game due to an injury and suspension, respectively.
One player looking to finish the season strongly is Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, who returned from an injury last week and went straight into the starting eleven against East Bengal at left-back. Quizzed about his season so far, Vignesh highlighted his progress and how his position-mate Mandar Rao Dessai has helped him from the sidelines.
“I haven’t had many games this season; I know how it feels sitting on the bench at times and training to get back into the team. During these times, I just want to do my best, make a good impression on the coaches, and show my character to everyone,” Vignesh said, before underlining Mandar’s contribution.
“Mandar bhai has always been my mentor, even from our earlier days, he never fails to inspire young players with his professionalism, his eating habits, and such. Even if he is not playing, he always supports me, guiding me from the bench.”
Chennaiyin’s clash with Punjab will also be the first in a series of home games to finish off the season, with the Marina Machans scheduled to play in front of their faithful in three of their last four matches.
–IANS
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