Vasco: Odisha FC will face Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 match at the Tilak Maidan Stadium here on Saturday. Odisha FC head coach Kiko Ramirez has expressed to his team that their clash against Chennaiyin FC is a new opportunity for them to rectify past mistakes..
Coming after a struggling loss of 0-4 against Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC will look to press harder against Chennaiyin FC to add to their three wins this season.
“The good thing is that we have a new opportunity this weekend. So the message for the players is that we have a new opportunity to compete and to win. And it’s the only way to change these things. We have to search within ourselves, what we do well and what we do bad. Yes, the coach has to be responsible for the situation and also all the staff and players and try to change things,” Ramirez said while addressing the media ahead of the match. He also said “they have good numbers in defensive actions, but we are not the same model and it’s going to be a tough game. We have to see the numbers. We have good numbers in offensive ratio scoring goals, but we conceded more goals than we wanted. Chennaiyin didn’t concede many goals but they also didn’t score many,” .
“We are managing really well, because as you see, the number nine arrived late and we were rotating and having the solutions for playing in any match during position at the starting of the competition. Of course, there are some players that are difficult to find a place that can sub in.
But we are happy about the way that we are dealing with this situation,” Ramirez added.
On the other, Chennaiyin saw their unbeaten record broken in the last game against Mumbai City. The Bozidar Bandovic-coached side are fifth in the points table with eight points from five games and a win on Saturday can take them to third place. The side with the best defensive record in the league so far have struggled to find the back of the net and that is something Bandović has to work on. Chennaiyin are creating a lot of shots but are facing struggles to put them in the back of the net. Odisha FC, on the other hand, have been efficient in maximizing the little they create. The presence of players like Aridai Cabrera, Javi Hernandez who possess good shooting technique helps them.
Slavko Damjanovic has emerged as the defensive leader in Chennaiyin’s defensive setup under new coach Bandovic. The 29-year-old defender uses his 1.89m frame to his best advantage in aerial situations. The likes of Igor Angulo, Bartholomew Ogbeche and Roy Krishna found it difficult to come up against Damjanovic in a duel as the Serbian’s strength and defensive ability allowed him to contain them.
“We have created a lot of chances in the last two games. It is now only a matter of time we will score our goal. But, we also have to look at our defence. We need the balance. On the attacking front, I believe we will be more effective going forward. My belief in the players has only doubled. Our aim is clear, to win three points in each game,” said Bandovic.
