“A real feast of attacking football” – Owen Coyle commends CFC’s all-round display in 4-1 win

Chennai, January 23, 2020: A delighted Chennaiyin FC Head Coach Owen Coyle addressed the media after his side convincingly beat Jamshedpur FC 4-1 in the Hero Indian Super League on Thursday.

A Nerijus Valskis double supplemented by goals from Andre Schembri and Lallianzuala Chhangte gave CFC all three points as they moved to sixth spot with 18 points. Commenting on the clash, Coyle said, “It was a tough game. They have very good attacking players. But we knew the game was about us. If we got to the level of performance that we have been lately, then we feel we are capable of winning games, scoring goals and entertaining. I thought the game was end-to-end, it was a real feast of attacking football.”

Valskis’ well-taken opener was followed by Schembri’s header that gave the hosts a healthy 2-0 lead at the break. CFC did allow JFC to come back into the game for a brief while in the second period, highlighting further scope for improvement. “I wasn’t happy with the ten minutes in the second half in the build-up to their goal. We got a little bit slack, allowed them possession.”

There was however no way back further for JFC as Valskis’ brilliant second goal and a Chhangte strike at the end confirmed all three points.

“But the reaction from our players was sensational. The third goal, the quality of Valskis’ finish and Thapa’s pass. A wonderfully weighted pass and a great finish. And from there on we knew there was only going to be one winner. We scored four goals but we could’ve easily had more. Another valuable three points,” Coyle remarked.

“Also makes it three wins in a row, the first time since December 2017. For a club that’s two-time champions, that’s not enough,” Coyle opined.

When asked specifically about Anirudh Thapa’s performance, who put in a tireless display in midfield and also an assist for Valskis’ second goal, Coyle was full of praise for the India international.

“Thapa is such a consistent performer. In my time here, he has been an integral part of what we do. He was brilliant defensively, his passing and running off the ball, everything about his game was outstanding. The better he plays, the better team we become. Even for the national team. Having looked at the league, I haven’t seen a better Indian midfielder than Thapa and the way he’s performing. But he has to keep maintaining that, every week. He knows there are things he can get better at. We keep talking to him about that.”

Thapa was joined by Edwin Vanspaul a second game running in midfield. Asked if this would be his first-choice midfield pairing going forward, the CFC gaffer answered, “Germanpreet and Thapa have been good together, but I must say that Edwin and Thapa have also been outstanding together. What it is now is competition for places. Germanpreet wasn’t fit for this one. He should be okay for the Kerala game, so that’s good.”

With CFC now firmly in the running for a top four spot, Coyle is not worried about any added pressure. “(Being close to the top four now), it doesn’t increase any pressure. We have been under pressure from the time I’ve come in here. We’d scored four goals in six games and were down at the bottom.”

“In terms of getting to the playoff places, we’re the team that’s been under pressure. But we’ve got the results. Any slip from us hurts us more. If you’re Goa, ATK or the others on top who’ve accumulated the points, there is a cushion. They can afford a little slip. We have to keep winning and winning to give ourselves a chance. So we’ll go to Kerala with the same approach.”

Up next in a week’s time is a huge game against southern rivals Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi. But Coyle doesn’t intend to change his team’s approach.

“We won’t change how we play. We’ll go to Kerala and try and win the game. We’ll play aggressively on the front foot, and very attack-minded,” he said in conclusion.