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Coyle delighted with Chennaiyin’s attack

Chennaiyin FC leapfrogged Odisha FC to rise to the fifth spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2019-20 table with a 6-3 win over Kerala Blasters FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday.

Coyle delighted with Chennaiyin’s attack
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Chennaiyin players pose for a selfie after the Kerala game

Chennai

The two-time champion (21 points from 14 matches) is now just two points behind fourth-placed Mumbai City FC (23 points from 15 matches), with a game in hand. Chennaiyin head coach Owen Coyle gave his opinion on the victory and said, “We came here to win. We had to make sure we carried on the momentum we had.”


‘Golden Boot’ leader Nerijus Valskis, Rafael Crivellaro and Lallianzuala Chhangte netted a double each as CFC became the first side in ISL to score six goals away from home. Lauding his team’s frontline, Coyle added, “As an attacking force, we were at the top of our game. We can score goals against any team. The record counts for nothing if we don’t get to the fourth place.”


The Scot then addressed his team’s poor defensive display in the second half, which gave Kerala little hope of getting something out of the match. “We didn’t want to be too negative in the final period. I wanted the players to keep doing what they have been doing. I feel during a 10-minute period, we stopped passing the ball as effectively as we had done.”


Asked if mistakes by Blasters helped Chennaiyin’s cause, the 53-year-old opined, “I think errors were made because we put KBFC under pressure in certain areas. We kind of forced those mistakes. We must learn when we have to capitalise on the opportunities. Offensively, I am delighted. But defence is something we need to strive to get better at. We are still a work in progress, but we are getting better.”


Coyle also had some warm words in store for Kerala’s forwards – hat-trick hero Bartholomew Ogbeche and Raphael Messi Bouli. “I have to give credit to the two strikers. Ogbeche and Messi can play for anybody in the league. They are wonderful players,” he stated.

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