CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC has had a decent outing in the new season, securing three group-stage victories against strong opponents, such as Tribhuvan Army and Hyderabad FC.

However, the team faced disappointment in the quarter-final stage of the Durand Cup, succumbing to FC Goa and conceding two late goals which has been a cause for concern for the club in recent times.

In light of these developments, DT Next caught up with defender Ankit Mukherjee, who joined the club this season and has previously played for Kolkata Giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. lot of experience and the club has signed Serbian Lazar Cirkovic as well which will add more solidity to our defence. Different coaches might bring in new strategies to test our defence but we will also work accordingly to make sure the team concedes lesser goals.

Ankit won the Indian Super League with Atletico de Kolkata (now defunct) in the 2019-2020 season, and neither he nor Chennaiyin have clinched any silverware since then. What are your thoughts on this?

Obviously, as a football player everyday I train with the hope that I’ll be able to win a trophy in the coming season. As mentioned, it’s been a while since I won any major championship and I don’t want to exaggerate that the team will reach the finals this year or lift the trophy but we will take it match by match. I don’t want to think about what’s in store next month right away, I want to focus on the present and work on it so that we’ll

be able to win the shield and the trophy.