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After a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of FC Goa last week, Chennaiyin FC parted ways with head coach Bozidar Bandovic. Assistant coach Syed Sabir Pasha has taken over at the club on an interim basis and will marshal his troops in their upcoming clash against Odisha FC.
Chennaiyin come into this clash following two back-to-back defeats. The Marina Machans have managed just five wins in 16 matches and will be desperate for three points against Odisha FC.
Ahead of the game, Syed Sabir lauded their opponents but opined that Chennaiyin FC could counter their gameplay. Citing defense and midfield as the two main areas to focus on, the interim coach said:
"We have to be strong, Odisha FC are a very good attacking side. They have some good players to do the damage. So I think if you can stop that, I think we'll be fine. We can come up with the result. But the only problem is that we have to be strong in our defense and in the midfield."
Odisha FC, meanwhile, won't be too thrilled with their position in the ISL table either, as they sit in 7th position, just two points ahead of Chennaiyin FC.
For the complete ISL fixtures, click here.
"Will try to get the best out of players rather than fixing philosophies" - Syed Sabir Pasha
A tough task awaits Syed Sabir Pasha as he takes over a struggling Chennaiyin FC side. The ISL team has been poor in the attacking department since the start of the tournament. What makes the job even harder for Sabir Pasha is that he will have minimal time to implement his ideologies and revive the side.
Asked what kind of philosophical and ideological changes he'd like to make, the 49-year-old said:
"It's a very short time to put all your philosophies inside the players. So I think we have to be sensible at this point of time. When you change things, we have to think about many things. So keeping that in mind, it's a challenge. And according to that we have to mold and that is the quality of the coach and that is the challenge for the coach. And I think what we are trying to do is get the best out of the players rather than fixing our philosophies. I think if our players do their maximum, come to their best, then we'll be a strong side."
Since the arrival of Bozidar Bandovic, a lot has been said and written about his ultra-defensive approach. The former head coach resorted to a 3-5-2 system, which was regarded by many as a negative approach. Asked if Bandovic's system was suitable for Chennaiyin FC, Syed Sabir said:
"I think 3-5-2 went well sometimes and then it didn't work. I think it depends upon the match, how the opponent's play, how we see the weakness of the opponents, how we approach the opponents. So I think in that way, like we were punished in some matches, we were looking good in some matches."
