"We have to win our individual battles and impose ourselves against Mumbai City FC" - Chennaiyin FC assistant coach Alexander Stewart
Fresh on the back of a crucial victory over Kerala Blasters FC, Chennaiyin FC are poised to host Mumbai City FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday, February 23.
Following three consecutive defeats on the road, the Marina Machans bounced back in front of their home supporters, with Aakash Sangwan’s second-half strike securing all three points last week.
The win propelled Chennaiyin to 15 points, placing them just four points behind sixth-placed NorthEast United FC with two games in hand.
Head coach Owen Coyle will not be present on the touchline as he is suspended due to the accumulation of multiple yellow cards. His long-time assistant, Alexander Stewart, will be taking charge of the team.
Stewart expressed in the pre-match press conference that the victory over the Blasters provided a much-needed confidence boost ahead of their clash against the Islanders.
“It was unfortunate (Owen Coyle’s suspension). We still think it was very harsh, but at the end of the day, rules are rules. But I was a head coach for five years previously, so I have experience and there’s no problem in that regard," he said.
Hopefully, we hit the momentum from the last result and carry it into this game. We will definitely take confidence from the last one, where we limited Kerala Blasters to very few chances. That’s exactly what we have to do in this game as well. Ultimately, we know what Mumbai’s strengths are, so we have to nullify their strengths and play to ours, especially at home," Stewart added.
Chennaiyin FC, who have encountered numerous injury setbacks throughout the season, finally had a fully fit squad ahead of their clash against the Blasters. However, their plans are once again disrupted as defender Ankit Mukherjee, like his head coach, will be suspended after receiving two yellow cards last time out.
“In terms of Ankit (Mukherjee), as he will admit, it was a very stupid challenge with the goalkeeper (Karanjit Singh) in the last game, which put the team in a bit of jeopardy with nine minutes to go,” added Stewart. “Hopefully, he has learned the lesson, but it’s an opportunity for someone else to come in and stake their claim in the team. Other than Ankit’s suspension, we have a fully fit squad to pick from.”
We have to balance our approach – Chennaiyin FC assistant coach Alexander Stewart
Mumbai City FC are in fine form with consecutive wins over East Bengal FC and Bengaluru FC, propelling them to third in the standings. Head coach Petr Kratky initially took some time to adapt, but the Islanders shown promise in recent weeks.
Mumbai’s playing style markedly contrasts with that of Chennaiyin FC; the reigning champions prefer to keep the ball on the ground with quick and short passes to beat the pressure.
When quizzed about potential changes to counter the Islanders, Stewart revealed that the Marina Machans must adapt their game and pick their moments to press higher up the pitch.
"We are at our best when we are aggressive. We like to put pressure on the opposition. But they are very good at keeping the ball and can play quick passes in the middle of the park. So, we have to balance our approach a bit," he stated.
"When we can put the pressure on, we have to do that with intensity, but at times, we have to take a step back and regroup from there. We have to win our individual battles and impose ourselves against Mumbai City FC. We know we can create chances against them as we did in the Super Cup, but we just need to be a bit more clinical," Stewart added.
Forward Rahim Ali joined Stewart in the press conference. Ali, who played as a striker against Kerala Blasters, believes that the No. 9 role suits him and that he just needs to be more efficient in front of goal.
"It was very important to win against Kerala Blasters to build some confidence within the team. In terms of my game, I have played as a number nine before as well and tried to play as simple as I could, which the coaches have also mentioned. But we are certainly working every day on being more clinical in front of goal," he said.
The clash between Chennaiyin FC and Mumbai City FC will be broadcast on Sports18 and VH1, and it will also be available for live streaming on Jiocinema starting from 7:30 PM on Friday, February 23.