ISL 2019-20 | The confidence of the players is at an all-time high, claims Phil Brown

Hyderabad FC will travel to Chennai to face the two-time champions Chnnaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday. Both teams are at the bottom of the table and will try everything to secure the full three points. Hyderabad's only win came against Kerala Blasters and the newcomers have a long injury list and the latest entrant has been defensive midfielder Adil Khan, who got injured in India's game against Oman.

However, Hyderabad FC head coach Phil Brown is positive and claimed that the confidence of his players is at an all-time high. “The biggest challenge for all of us was in the treatment room. We had nine players who were injured. Around five-six of them would be starters in my team at the start of the season. That lack of quality available on the pitch was probably why we won just one game as opposed to maybe two or even three. The players went back to their homes during the break for a week," said Brown in the pre-match press-conference, reported ISL.

"As they came back, we have slowly emptied the treatment room. We have only Adil Khan who was injured during the international break, which is a disappointment for us. But after a very long time, the confidence of the players is at an all-time high. All the players have been working hard on the training ground, fighting for a place in the starting XI against Chennaiyin,” Phil Brown added. The coach updated about former injured A-League Golden Boot winner Bobo who is yet to start for Hyderabad this season

“For the first time since I started coaching in India, I have 24 or the 25 players available to me. Six of the seven foreign players are available to me, but Bobo has been out for a while. I have to be careful. He hasn’t played too much football. I must make the calculated decision of whether to start him or will he play from the bench. The same applies for Giles (Barnes). Starting both together will be a dangerous thing to do. It is a decision I must make. We will see if I made the right decision from the end product of our game. In football, there is a positive and negative end. We are heading towards the positive end. Now that I have all the players back and fighting for their place, that is the best position a coach can be in.” The English coach added.

Chennaiyin FC are yet to win a game this season and Englishman Phil Brown spoke about the fixture and expressed his thoughts on Chennaiyin coach John Gregory's poor show.

“We have two games in quick succession but the first one against Chennaiyin is more important. They are in a similar kind of situation like us this season. Under John Gregory, they won the title two seasons back and now he is like a caged and wounded animal. He is not getting the rewards for the work that they are putting in. They are losing games. I know him very well. He will bang his head against the wall to get an answer. That is the hard part about coaching and management.” Phil Brown concluded 

Phil Brown was accompanied by his defender Matthew Kilgallon who is also from England, expressed his excitement of the fixture. “I think we have played well, we have trained well, we have to go out there and win. The international break came at a good time for us. We have worked hard. We will keep working hard on the training field. I’m really looking forward to the game.” he added.