Chennai: Chennaiyin FC which finished at the bottom of the table last year didn’t enjoy success in its first two games this year as it started off with a loss against FC Goa and managed a goalless draw against Mumbai City FC. With just a solitary point on the board, the two-time champion hosts ATK at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium today and coach John Gregory hopes for a turnaround of fortunes.
Speaking on the eve of the game, Gregory rued the chances that his team missed in the first two games but is pleased with the performance of his side compared to last year. “We did everything but score against Mumbai City. We had a lot of chances and had the opportunities to score. I am bewildered that we did not score. The keeper (Amrinder Singh) made an outstanding save from Rafael (Crivellaro). There were periods last year where we were not even creating chances. We are creating chances now though. So I am pleased with that side of our game,” said the coach.
Playing with a revamped side this year, with most of the players playing in the league for the first time, Gregory said that the players are getting accustomed in the side. “The team is fairly new and the players are getting used to the league . Yes, we didn’t dominate in the first two games and that is something that I spoke to the likes of Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rafael Crivellaro, and Dragos Firtulescu. They must stay in the game at all times. Kolkata has a habit of starting games very well so we will be fine against them. The players are making progress and getting accustomed to each other and I am looking forward to the game.”
Gregory also had a word of praise for CFC’s new recruit Edwin Vanspaul, the local lad who played for Chennai City FC in I-League last season. “He has settled in very quickly and for a local boy, it’s very nice. He is very happy to be part of the club and enjoys playing ISL. He is getting accustomed to the role that we are asking him to do pretty well.”
On his part, CFC’s custodian Vishal Kaith said that his focus is to help his team maintain a clean sheet in this game. “For every goalkeeper, it is important to keep a clean sheet and it will be an added motivation to keep a clean sheet against an attack like ATK. The team has learnt from the mistakes made in Goa so the focus is to ensure that the team keeps a clean sheet.” he said.