'We have to be more deadly in the final third' — Clifford Miranda ahead of Mohun Bagan clash
Chennaiyin FC head coach Clifford Miranda spoke to the media ahead of his side’s Indian Super League fixture against Mohun Bagan SG at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, scheduled for 19:30 IST on October 26, 2026. Miranda warned his players they “have to be a bit more confident, sharper, more precise and more deadly in the final third, but they know it already.”
Chennaiyin enter the match without a win in seven games, a run that stretches back to the last five fixtures of the 2025-26 ISL campaign. Across their two league matches so far this season the Marina Machans have enjoyed a healthy share of possession but have been wasteful in attack: they took the lead against FC Goa through Irfan’s individual effort before conceding from a set piece following an individual error, and lost 2-0 to Bengaluru FC after defensive lapses while failing to score. With only three wins from Miranda’s 18 games in charge and significant squad turnover over the summer, pressure on results has increased.
Miranda defended his backline while identifying concentration and set-piece discipline as issues. “We defended really well- not just the back four, but as a team. We have conceded three goals now, one from a set piece. The second goal we conceded against Bengaluru, it was a soft goal, it was a bit of miscommunication, but it happens all the time. Mistakes are part of the game, but what we could not control was the first goal against Bengaluru. I think it was a very good goal by them; we were pressing high, and they got behind us, and we could not avoid that.” He added: “Having said that, again we need to stop giving set pieces, committing fouls in and around our box, and we need to get this thing a bit more focused. Especially when we don’t score for long periods and we have possession for long periods, it’s sometimes a bit of an offensive mindset that grips you, and that’s what has happened against both Goa and Bengaluru.”
Mohun Bagan SG arrive after a mixed start to the season following their 2024/25 Indian Super League title and a failure to retain the crown last season, when they lost out to East Bengal. The champions entered the current campaign buoyed by a 2026 IFA Shield victory, began the league with a defeat to NorthEast United FC, and most recently produced a 2-1 comeback win against Sporting Club Delhi under coach Panagiotis Dilmperis.
Miranda outlined his tactical approach and addressed the gulf in resources between the clubs while reiterating belief in his players. “We are cautious (when facing Mohun Bagan), but we want to control the game. We want to play in a very similar way to how we have been training for the last two months; we won’t change our style of play- that doesn’t change. Of course, depending upon the opponent, the circumstances that we are in and availability of players, and the quality of the opponent, we do change because we prepare for every opponent, in the week leading up to the match, so we are preparing for Mohun Bagan.” He also said: “You are talking about possibly the best team in the league whose budget is I think four or five times higher than us. But again, money doesn’t win, win, win. On the day how you play is the most important thing and that is what we are banking on and counting on. But there is no denying the fact that they have, very, very good quality, but my team is no less, and the players that I have at my disposal are good enough because for me the biggest strength is the team rather than any individual.” “They are coming back off one defeat and one victory, but you see, against NorthEast, they created so many chances; they missed a lot of chances. Also, in the second half against Delhi, they changed their system, and they played really well because they have good players. They have had a long pre-season; they started the season, I think, in July or before.”
On recruitment and individual players, Miranda explained the club’s foreign signings and defensive setup while Rwanda international Emmanuel Imanishimwe described his adaptation. Miranda said: “We wanted a 10, so we got Madih. We wanted a left-footed center back, so we got Emmanuel. We wanted a right-footed center back, so Nuno was available, and he did really well in Mumbai last season, so we signed him. We wanted a player who could play as an 8, as a 6, as a 10, so we got Nikola, and we wanted a 9 who was more mobile and who could run into space, and we had quite a couple of profiles, and then finally we settled on Ramon.” He has preferred to start with two foreign centre-backs, with Emmanuel operating on the left alongside Nuno Reis. Emmanuel, who moved from the top tier of Cypriot football, said: “It’s a pleasure to be in a squad like this, and there is something extra you can bring to the team as an international player. As the coach said, we are here to support; we are here to build the team, and I think this is the beginning for everyone as a team. And for us as international players, we have to put something into the team, and we are going to be better than the last two games.”
Emmanuel also addressed his positional switch to central defence and his comfort in the role: “It’s not the first time I’ve played in central defence, because even last season I was playing in central defence in Cyprus. But it’s not easy because it hasn’t been long since I started playing in central defence. But I think one year is enough; I was studying, this is the second year, so it’s not difficult.” Miranda provided a squad fitness update, naming multiple absentees and confirming availability: “Glan is not there; he’s injured. Vignesh is injured; Maheson is injured. Harmandeep has just recovered; Nikola is available and will be there. We played Talal against Goa, and then he started against Bengaluru and as the league goes on, he will get better. There is no denying his quality with the ball. We need a fit Madih who will be at his best to give him time, and I think he will be really good.”
The next match for Chennaiyin is their ISL fixture against Mohun Bagan SG at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, with kick-off scheduled for 19:30 IST on October 26, 2026.