ISL 2023-24: Chennaiyin need to be more consistent, says head coach Coyle ahead of East Bengal clash

CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle reckons the need to be more consistent on the field as they go up against East Bengal FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Monday.

The Marina Machans are undefeated against East Bengal in the league and aim to maintain the record in the upcoming contest as well. Coyle finds a lot of similarities between both teams and asserts that consistency will be the key to their success.

"Yes, there are a lot of similarities, a lot of parallels between Chennaiyin and East Bengal. We saw in the first half of our last match that our boys were outstanding against a team that was very close to winning the shield. We played well in the first half and our next opponent has done that regularly in a lot of matches as well," Coyle said in the press conference ahead of the match.

Our team has to be more consistent and that would be the key to our success. As I mentioned before, the last match was the first time we had a fully fit team, so, there's no doubt that when we have our best 11 there, we can stand toe to toe with anybody," he said.

The Scotsman showed confidence in his players' abilities as he mentioned that they are capable of winning against East Bengal away from home.

"We will look to put the best team we can on the field and try to win the upcoming match. It's a game that we're more than capable of winning, and we have to make sure that we are at our best to do that. The boys are there and are doing everything they can. I can't fault their effort, their application, their work rate that you get that in abundance. What we need to do is just to add a little bit of quality on the field and be consistent," he remarked.

Chennaiyin's captain Ryan Edwards also joined the head coach in the press conference and reflected a lot of self-belief before the crucial match.

"We are ready to go into the match tomorrow. It would be a totally different game. Of course, tactically we always try and dominate the ball a lot more than other teams do but sometimes you can actually control the game without the ball, and that's not a negative. So, we will go there, play positive and try to win the game. You always try to win every game, whether it's a home game or away game and we are going for a win in the next match, and I think everyone knows that by now," concluded Edwards.

Chennaiyin FC and East Bengal FC have contested seven matches in the ISL, with the Marina Machans securing victories in two games, while five matches have ended in a tie.