Resurgent Chennaiyin face holders Bengaluru

CHENNAI : In football, a lot can change in three months. When Bengaluru FC last faced Chennaiyin FC, the Sree Kanteerava Stadium was enveloped in the November chill, while the Chennaiyin bench was gloomier still. They were the worst team in the league, struggling to score a goal and on the receiving end of a three-goal drubbing from the hosts.Three months later, it’s February and Chennai is getting warmer. Chennaiyin though is already red hot. 6-3, 4-1, 2-0, 3-1 — that’s their last four games. A side that scored four goals in October and November has now scored 13 over the last thirty days alone. 

Nobody deserves more credit than Owen Coyle for all this. They say managers need a bit of time to settle in when arriving at a new club. Apparently, all Coyle needed was the ride from the airport to the team hotel. “Since I inherited the squad, I had to quickly ascertain what the team’s abilities and capabilities are,” he says. “Prior to the Jamshedpur game (away), I saw the talent in the squad. More than the foreigners, working with Indian players has been so enjoyable. They have the ability and talent. Their desire, hunger and attitude have been impressive. The players know that they have my trust and confidence. It is very important in football. When you are confident and positive, your body language changes and you play better.”

When he came, Chennaiyin were down and out. Now they’re favourites to steal a semifinal berth. The equation is simple — win their last four matches and they get to contest the play-offs. That might seem like a daunting task considering they are yet to face two of the league’s best teams in Bengaluru FC and ATK. But on current form, this Chennaiyin side could beat anyone.

They will need to keep doing that starting with Bengaluru on Sunday. “We still have ATK, then Mumbai to go to,” said Coyle. “They will all be exciting games. But our focus is on Bengaluru. We are respectful of them but do not fear them.”It’s not like they will catch the visitors slacking — Bengaluru will probably need to win this to finish in the top two and grab an AFC competition spot. For a club that has prioritised continental football since they got a first taste of it, this will be paramount.

“Bengaluru are a very physical side and they are aggressive,” said Coyle. “And defensively they are a good unit. We have to overcome that. BFC also have to play to win since they have different ambitions and it should be a good footballing game.”For Chennaiyin, Anirudh Thapa will be missing due to a suspension while Germanpreet Singh is a doubt. Bengaluru will be without Rafael Augusto and Rino Anto.