Tough to catch up with teams that have a head start, says Chennaiyin FC coach Miranda

In normal circumstances, Chennaiyin FC, during this time of the year, would be chalking out plans to be best-placed for the Indian Super League playoff qualification.

However, these are unprecedented times. It is February, usually the month when the league season’s climax begins, but the Indian football fraternity still awaits ISL’s kick-off. The uncertainty meant that the Chennaiyin players, like their rivals from some other clubs, were waiting in hope at a time when they must have been battling for the ball on the field.

So, after that one notification which they longed for appeared on their mobiles, they finally breathed again. CFC head coach Clifford Miranda expressed “relief” looking at the immediate future of the ISL, scheduled to begin on February 14. “We would rather have a delayed start to the league than have no league at all. All of us have to adapt,” Miranda, Chennaiyin’s first permanent Indian chief coach, told The Hindu on Saturday.

But Miranda admitted that it would be an onerous task to catch up with clubs which enjoy a head start. “Primarily, our objectives will depend on the preparation we have for the season. Four-five clubs have been training year-round, so it is not a level-playing field,” said Miranda, whose team re-started practice only two weeks ago.

“But we cannot term ourselves as victims. While we cannot make up for four-five months of non-football, we will try to play football the way I want the team to play. In the end, football is result-oriented; we would love to win and we want to win.”

For now, Miranda and the wider football community want the national federation to give life to the ISL tagline of ‘Let’s football’.