Chennaiyin FC enters the Indian Super League season with renewed optimism.

After crawling to the penultimate position in the previous edition — before which it had hastily put together a squad — CFC has learnt that the first part of the journey is as important as the last.

When Chennaiyin takes the field for its opener against FC Goa in Fatorda on Saturday, it will do so with nearly two months of preparation under its belt.

Proper pre-season

“When the club was in talks with me to continue, the first thing I asked was a proper pre-season,” head coach Clifford Miranda said here on Thursday.

“We have had a seven-week pre-season and we are now in the competition period, so it is eight weeks. The club has provided me with what I wanted — timeframe, resources, facilities, friendlies etc. I am pleased with the signings we made… I am even more pleased with how the players have trained and the attitude they have shown. Now it is time for us to put everything together in the games,” Miranda added.

Another area that needed urgent introspection was goal-scoring.

Huge challenge

While Chennaiyin has drafted promising Brazilian forward Ramon Tanque, it is thin on personnel in that department.

“We have a top striker. If he stays fit, he is going to trouble a lot of defences: he is very explosive. The way we have organised our attacking structure, it is not just about Ramon. There are players around him who can arrive in good moments and score.”

CFC will hope it has plenty left in the ‘Tanque’.