"I don’t know if I will be here for the next season because of the (performance) clauses in my contract,” said Clifford Miranda in the press conference after Chennaiyin FC finished 13th — one place above the relegation spot, during the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) in May.
Cut to October, and the former Indian midfielder is now preparing for his second season as Chennaiyin FC’s head coach. At the Taj Connemara, Clifford could be seen working out formations and structures on his iPad, as he hopes for a good campaign.
But in the months between last season and this, Clifford spent time introspecting and talking to those who he has worked under. “I try to better myself after every training session. I try to introspect whether the last training session was good or not and what we can do to make it better. We do this every day because every day is a new challenge, something that we can learn from. In terms of results from last year, yes, you always speak to people who have been with you, whom you have learned from and whom you look up to,” he told CE.
Before he took over Chennaiyin FC last year, Clifford was Spanish tactician Juan Ferrando’s assistant at Mohun Bagan for the 2023-24 season. “We speak almost every day. At the moment, he is coaching in Greece (Panionios). We often speak on general things,” he shared.
Now, the Goan is set to return to the touchline a rejuvenated man, as he got what he asked for — a long pre-season and new players who fit his profile for specific positions. “The kind of players that will suit the way I want the team to play. Since we made the moves early on in the season, even when the league’s kick-off date and structure were not confirmed, the club did very well so that we could secure our preferred choice of players that we would want to have. In terms of preparation and planning, it has been very good from the club side as well. In terms of recruitment and pre-season, I am very pleased,” he said.
But he believes that there is always room to improve. “They are understanding what is expected of them. We have assigned certain kinds of players that come closest to understanding the style that we want to play. Yet, it does not mean that they will immediately understand. But the good part is the players are more hungry, motivated, and receptive to new ideas,” he added.
One of the primary concerns from last season is goalscoring. In the truncated 25/26 season, Chennaiyin FC ended with the least number of goals scored, with 9. This year, they have signed forward Ramon Tanque on loan from Indonesian Super League side PERSIB Bandung. “This is something that we will want to improve in this season. The last part of the game is the most difficult part. It depends on a lot of factors. There is a way we can arrive in the penalty box or in the final third to score goals, which we were doing last season, but we needed quality to score those goals.
This is Ramon’s first time in India. “We must give him time to settle. We must give him time to know the circumstances, the environment here. It is different for him. He is the only established striker that we have. We expect a lot from him, but at the same time, we want to help him,” he said.
With Chennaiyin FC’s first three games being away from home, beginning with a trip to Goa on Friday, Clifford hopes his team starts well. “The first game sets the momentum. It gives you a good base to start the rest of your journey. Goa is never an easy place to play. In fact, It is going to be difficult. There are no games that are easy in this league. Almost all the teams are at the same level except a couple who are at a slightly different level because of their spending power, which is nothing wrong,” he signed off.
