'I want to contribute to Indian football - Csaba Laszlo wishes to continue at Chennaiyin

10-man Chennaiyin finished the ISL 2020-21 season with a 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Sunday.

Even though the Marina Machans dominated parts of the game especially in the first half,  their head coach Csaba Laszlo felt that the draw was a fair result. Fatkhulo Fatkhuloev broke the deadlock in the 10th minute before Gary Hooper equalised from the spot as first-half goals decided the fate of the game. 

"It was a fair result because the first penalty was not a penalty but the second was and it must be given. I think it was compensation. In the last 20 minutes we played with 10 men and the team defended very well," Laszlo said after the game.

Laszlo showed faith in his key midfielder Anirudh Thapa and made him the captain of the side for the final encounter. On being asked if he can lead the country and club from next season, he said, "Yes. It's a very simple answer, yes".

Laszlo pointed out plenty of takeaways from the ISL 2020-21 season. He believes the league can grow if there are more Indian goal scorers and the scouting system for every club can develop. He, however, is happy that his side has at least three Indian players who are handy in front of the goal. 

"I can talk for maybe two hours about it. I want to see more Indian players on the pitch also more Indian goal scorers. Also, we need a better scouting system for every team because I'm sure that we have a lot of talented players. We have to talk about it," Laszlo explained. 

"The players need more games, more training sessions and a lot of work should be done in this direction. I don't see a lot of Indian goal scorers because most of the teams build their squad with foreign players in key positions. Most foreigners decide the games by scoring goals. For this reason, I was happy that we have 2-3 Indian players in the squad who can score goals," he added. 

Lazlo also thanked the fans for their constant support but admitted that he failed to produce the desired result. 

"I miss them (fans) very much. I know they are disappointed. Last season we made the final, this season, we didn't make the top four. I think we played enjoyable football but were unlucky a lot of times. Most of the draws we played, it was our mistake, our game management or had better chances to win the game. The fans can give us more support and positive energy. If you're real fans, even in bad times you stayed with us, we will show fighting spirit next season," he said.

On his future with the club, he said, "We have to talk about it. Today I talked with my wife and said I don't want to go back as I already miss India. Lovely people, many friends, even in the bubble we grow together. I respect the club's decision and I want to stay in India. I am 57 now, I had in my career big clubs, I have played Champions League, Europa League qualification, European Championship. I want to give something to Indian football from my experience".