PRE-MATCH QUIPS: Strong mentality will be brought to the game; Materazzi says team need to focus after last loss

COPPELL WHOSE TEAM had made it to the top four after last win against FC Goa, are currently fitfth. Asked if he was looking to ride on the last game's sucess, Coppell replied to reporters at the conference,

 “After a win everything is magnified in this league and when you lose everything is written off so we have to be more on earth and on an even keel. Every game is a challenge and when I look at the league, upsets are happening frequently. Like, you expect a team to win and then you see the result and something else happens,”
 
He continued: “Without doubt every team in this league is capable of beating any team so that is why I say you can never relax, you really have to be solid in your preparation and have a strong mentality and that's how I would like to come into this match. We can control how we prepare and concentrate.”

Materazzi answering a question on how the last big margin loss to Delhi was affecting the team said at the press talk,

"Football is a game with a lot of ups and downs, so after the game you have to focus"

The Chennaiyin FC coach was involved in an incident in the last game against the Blasters after which he had received a game's suspension. Speaking about the same topic Coach Materazzi said,

“I was just out there to have a word with Belfort but after the game between NorthEast United FC and Mumbai City nothing happened. Same thing for Kerala vs Goa, nothing happened. This is not fair to me,”

Talking about the return leg of the Southern derby, Coppell said,

“From our point of view, we want to win and sometimes your observations are that we are not attacking much but I think we try to attack as much as we can. The players we have available do have an attacking mentality and I have always said we are disciplined defensively but we don't concentrate only on defence, like I have said, we do like to attack and go forward. Chennaiyin's defeat does not really affect our preparation and from our point of view the only thing we control is our attitude and our play and we are ready for them,”

Materazzi on his team's preparedness on a tough race to finish in the top four commented that around last year they were in a similar position as they are now but was confident they will go through.

Coppell speaking about if the introduction of Anto in the team would affect Josu's positioning said,

“I don't think we are restricting Josu even though he is playing at left-back and he is one of our most creative players going forward and he has a strong left foot. He is involved in a lot of our attacks going forward and if he wasn't there we would miss him in that position. If we had a natural left-footed left-back…that would be ideal and Rino has played as left-back but he is right-footed, so is that ideal? No it isn't, but it does give me an option, yes it does.”

Kerala could target to play safe and draw every game from now on to on get a decent position in last four. To this Coppell replied,

“I don't look at it like that and my job is to prepare the team and as the whistle goes off it's down to the players to perform. And do I set targets for games? No, absolutely not. I want us to play well and I think we will get a good result and if we get five good results I think the season will take care of itself.”

The Englishman Coppell shared his thoughts on CK Vineeth, who scored the winning goal in the last game, saying,

“I don't know I am still learning very much about his capabilities. He has great energy and the way he performed for Bengaluru he showed he is capable of playing in the middle by himself. Last season, he played in wide areas and he can play in so many positions and I think it is great to have this flexibility among the Indian players and it does give you more options. I think if you asked him which position is best for him, he himself might not know as he just wants to play and because he is a team player he would even play in the goal if I asked him and I hope we will see him perform consistently till the end of the season and I think to anchor him in any position would be wrong as he has got more to offer than that"

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