ISL 2022-23: We must keep our feet on the ground: Chennaiyin FC head coach Thomas Brdaric

Chennaiyin FC head coach Thomas Brdaric believes the team should stay grounded in order to achieve success in the ongoing season of the Hero Indian Super League. The Marina Machans started their season in style as they bested ATK Mohun Bagan by 2-1 in their opening match while playing away from home.

Chennaiyin FC will now host the Durand Cup champions Bengaluru FC on Friday and they will be looking to register their second win of the tournament. However, Brdaric admitted that it is not going to be easy for his team to claim three points against the Blues and the German wants his players to play at the top of their game.

Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming match, Thomas Brdaric said in the press conference, “We are back home and looking forward to meeting our fans. We closed the last game’s chapter and Bengaluru FC are our next opponent. We are working to be mentally prepared, to build a physical foundation and to grow as a team. This is our aim and on Friday we have to be very well prepared to face them because Bengaluru FC is an experienced team and we have to compete with them for 90 plus minutes and the aim should be to win the match.”

After a thrilling first week of ISL football, Brdaric believes any team can beat any side on a given day. The German added that the strategy will be to nullify the opposition’s strengths.

He went on to add, “All games have been interesting. From our perspective, it was good to see fast counter-attacks which we were able to convert into goals. As far as the league is concerned, it is very balanced. Any team can beat the other team. You have to be prepared for all matches on a high level. You have to be prepared to work at a high intensity. What you need to do is beat the will of the opponent and nullify the strengths of the opponent. That’s why we analyze our opponents very well and that’s why we give our players all information that they should have. At the end of the day, we want to win our matches. The first match was already successful. We have to take care of the next match. We want to show that we can keep this level.”

On the other hand, Bengaluru FC also got off to a winning start as they defeated NorthEast United FC by 1-0.

Sharing his thoughts on the opposition, Brdaric said, “They have experienced players, they have fast players. We have to be very careful at the back. We should not let them overpower us. We have to defend as a team and we have to put them under pressure so that they are not able to play to their strength.”