Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 30 : Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle lamented his side's missed opportunities as they suffered a defeat to NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.
Despite a promising start in the first half, Chennaiyin FC found themselves on the losing side and struggled to recover against the Highlanders. The visitors created numerous chances and executed some clever plays but were unable to find the back of the net. Reflecting on the match, Coyle believed the outcome could have been different had his team capitalised on their chances.
“I mean, with lots of chances, which certainly, in the first half we should have been in front by a couple of goals, but we never took our chances. And when you don't, you get punished heavily. And that probably summed up the game, the goalkeeper (Samik Mitra) getting off injured at the end as well. So, yeah, of course, it was always going to be a tough start, but the league is decided over 22 games and not two. So we'll pick ourselves up, look to get stronger and look to bounce back,” Coyle stated in the post-match press conference as quoted by the ISL website.
Coyle expressed his confidence in his team's ability to improve as the season progresses.
“Yeah, there's no doubt that, as a team, we're going to get stronger. Lazar (Cirkovic) and Ryan (Edwards) have just come in. Those two lads are fit and healthy and of course, all the foreign players complement (our team). Jordan Murray missed out tonight. So we're a bit hamstrung by that, but we still did enough to be (up by) two or three goals in front in the first half. If you watch that game, the chances were incredible," Coyle said.
“For us, we will take the punches and look to bounce back," he added.
When asked about addressing their goal-scoring concerns in the upcoming game against Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Coyle emphasised the importance of persistence.
“Very simple, just put the ball in. The chances are there. We're right in front of the goal. That's what it is. I’d be more worried if we didn’t have any chances. We had three or four chances in the first half. In the second half, Ninthoi (Meetei) was right through (where he could have scored) and the keeper (Mirshad Michu) made a great save. We've got goalscorer, Jordan Murray to add to that as well. Farukh (Choudhary) can and Rafa(el Crivellaro) too. Don’t be taken in by our result, it's NorthEast United FC's night, good luck to them. But once we get up and running, we can show we are a team that can be very competitive,” he said.
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