ISL 2018-19: Struggling Chennaiyin FC need to rekindle their spark after sombre performance against FC Goa

Chennai: Entering Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, one is welcomed by a huge hoarding, decorated with bright lights, which reads ‘Home of the champions’. On Saturday night, as the referee blew the full-time whistle, the ‘champions’ surrendered to the ground- their home ground, as they were handed an embarrassing 1-3 defeat at the hands of FC Goa. [caption id=“attachment_5333901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Chennaiyin FC’s Francisco Fernandes in action. Twitter: @ChennaiyinFC[/caption] It may be too soon to jump to a conclusion but let’s face it, trouble has come knocking at Chennaiyin’s door. The defending ISL champions have registered two losses in a row, but it is their display on the field, and not the full-time scoreline, which has raised a slew of questions. The performance at the Marina Arena was dire. Facing an attack-minded Goa side, Chennaiyin put up a lacklustre fight- one that comfortably allowed the Gaurs to return to their city with smiles on their faces and three points in their pockets. While John Gregory’s chosen XI against the Gaurs saw just one change from the previous loss at Bengaluru, the team looked far more deficient at the Marina Arena. Right from the word go, the visiting side saw more of the ball, and played it dangerously in Chennaiyin’s half, which caused early signs of difficulty for the two-time title winners. Chennaiyin, for the first ten minutes, sat in their own half, only blocking Goa’s attempts. It was in the 10th minute that the home side entered into their attacking half, when winger Gregory Nelson took on right-back Seriton Fernandes; but, he too fluffed the build-up by sending the cross wide. Just two minutes later, they were handed the first shock. In what was deemed as an attack versus defence battle before the drama unfolded in the season opener in Chennai, the team failed to even maintain their usually stable line of defence. When Goa’s Lenny Rodrigues played the ball back for Edu Bedia from Hugo Boumous’ short corner, as many as six Chennaiyin players were present in the 16-yard-box, who had no response to Bedia’s shot which sailed past goalkeeper Karanjit Singh. Defensive midfielder Anirudh Thapa was guilty of not blocking Lenny’s cut-back delivery, and Francisco failed to contain Bedia from releasing the strike. While Anirudh Thapa and Germanpreet Singh had a tough time in their defensive midfield positions, striker Jeje Lalpekhlua had a game to forget, too. The Indian international’s presence on the pitch made close to no impact in the attack up-front, which goes to show that the frontline is in desperate need of support for the Mizo. Perhaps, playing as a second striker to Argentine-Palestinian forward Carlos Salom could reap better results for the 27-year-old ‘sniper’. Furthermore, the midfield relied heavily on the left side to create chances, as Gregory Nelson often started the action from the flank. However, the Dutchman too was unfortunate to see his long-range attempt fly away after he got the better of Seriton and Jahouh, minutes before the break. Confident from the final moments of the first half, the hosts looked to regroup in the latter. But, they fell prey to their own sloppy defence. A simple throw-in converted into a goal for Goa, after an unmarked Seriton found Corominas with a clever cross, which went unnoticed by the Chennaiyin backline. Corominas made no mistake in finding the net and thereby make Chennaiyin defenders lift their hands in disbelief. Lack of clinical finishing haunted Chennaiyin throughout, even as Nelson blasted his shot into the air, from close range. In a hope of turning the result, Gregory introduced Isaac Vanmalsawma and Carlos Salom, but it was perhaps a bit too late. The final nail on the coffin, however, came off Mourtada Fall’s header in the 80th minute. The 6'9’’ defender sent a solid header off Corominas’ flick to silence the crowd in the stands. Although Eli Sabia handed a consolation goal in stoppage time from Andrea Orlandi’s corner-kick, it wasn’t enough to light up the faces of the fans, who walked into the stadium with high hopes. Chennaiyin have played only two matches so far, but their performance has raised a red flag already. The areas of improvement need to be worked upon quickly, especially in a league which offers just six months of play. To their benefit, the international break starting 8 October, could prove to be the perfect time for gaffer Gregory to rethink, regroup and rekindle the spark of the Chennaiyin team, which caused havoc for every team last season.