It has been a season to forget so far for Chennaiyin FC and John Gregory. With one third of the season gone by, Chennaiyin FC have only managed one victory in the seven games, having drawn one and losing their remaining games. Injuries and an underperforming squad are just a couple of the current host of problems that the Chennaiyin FC head coach John Gregory has had to deal with this season. Come tomorrow, the defending champions will clash against Jamshedpur FC who also need to register a win to get back on track.
The hosts for tomorrow, Jamshedpur FC fell to their first defeat of the season against Pune City FC who were languishing at the bottom of the league table prior to that game. To add to the problems for Cesar Ferrando, Sergio Cidoncha is out with a knee injury and is expected to return only after the winter break. The Spanish forward had a great start to the season and made quite an impact by assisting or scoring goals for his team. He was one of the spearheads in attack for the Men of Steel and his presence in the final third will surely be missed.
When asked about his thoughts on the defending champions coming to town, Jamshedpur FC head coach Cesar Ferrando said, “The last match wasn’t good for us, but we must move on and focus on the next match. Chennai is a good team, they play very well, and they have won the trophy last season. It is a home match against Chennai, so we have to play well and make our fans happy with a win”. With the ever-present home support given by the people of Jamshedpur, the onus will definitely be on the home side to take charge of the game.
Both sides have enjoyed substantial possession during games so far, but Jamshedpur FC have been the more clinical side out of the two when it comes to end product. John Gregory has constantly chopped and changed his playing XI in search of better performances. Similarly, his counterpart Cesar Ferrando is also slowly developing his reputation as the “tinker man", frequently making subtle changes in his side to get the desired outcome.
Chennaiyin FC played their last game against Pune City FC where they got their first win of the season to kick-start their league campaign, but a lot of football has been played since, of which Chennaiyin FC haven’t been a part of. Here’s what Caesar Ferrando had to say about that; “This league is different than other leagues. Some teams play two or three matches in a row while some teams play only once a week .But that’s the way the league is, and we can’t change that. I prefer to play games in quick succession, especially when we lose. Then I want my team to play the next match as soon as possible. And even if you lose in those games you have the next match to make things right."
When asked about the opportunity for his side to bounce back quickly after a loss against FC Pune City, Ferrando stated, "I think that’s the best thing you can do to recover the confidence. When there’s a two week break then the players can end up thinking about the next match a lot. Thinking whether they’ll lose again. It will be good for us if we have a run of games but that’s the league format and we have to follow that”.
With Sergio Cidoncha out of contention for the near future, the Jamshedpur FC manager is confident that players like Michael Soosairaj , Carlos Calvo and Pablo Morgado can fill in for the void left by the Spanish attacker. On the other hand, for Chennaiyin FC, the pressure will be on Raphael Augusto to deliver the final ball and feed the Mizo Sniper, Jeje Lalpekhlua who has been on a barren run of sorts this season.
Furthermore, another key player for Chennaiyin FC will be their Brazilian defender Mailson Alves. The Brazilian hasn’t been a regular for the Machans but proved his worth by heading in an equalizer for Chennaiyin FC and then providing an assist for another goal to help Chennaiyin FC win their first game of the season, more importantly repaying the managers faith to pick him.
Jamshedpur FC have made a bad habit of conceding goals from set-pieces so far. And the Brazilian's presence will definitely give the Jamshedpur FC defence a lot to think about. The onus will be on the other defenders apart from Tiri to step up their game and help the side avoid making costly errors.
The defence is a major concern for both sides and in the end, the side that will emerge victorious in this clash won’t be the side that scores the most goals but the side that can hold on to it’s lead.
