Little would Chennaiyin FC have expected that it would be the underdog going into the second leg of its semifinal against Kerala Blasters. The team was the first to qualify for the last four, had scored the most number of goals, had the best marquee signing, and had even managed to find an adequate replacement when he was injured.
Understandably, the side took its foot off the pedal and tried different options in the last two games before the knock-outs. However, the 3-0 thrashing that the Blasters handed out in the previous leg in Kochi has now left Chennaiyin in a spot.
But, when in difficulty, it has often looked up to its marquee player Elano. With his individual brilliance, he has managed to save his team the blushes like he did at home against NorthEast United FC.
But the game against the Blasters in the first leg was his first in almost a month, and he cut a forlorn figure. On Monday, when the team practised, his movement seemed restricted. He trained alone, and was seen sharpening only his signature free-kicks.
‘Can be done’
“It will be very difficult, but we believe we can do it,” said player-manager Marco Materazzi on overturning the deficit. “The first half will be very important because if we can get a goal or two, we will put Kerala Blasters under pressure.”
For some time now, Chennai’s leaky defence has been a topic of debate. The side had clean sheets in just three of its 15 matches so far. An attempt to stem the rot by pairing Alessandro Nesta with Mikael Silvestre in the central defence and pushing Bernard Mendy to the right back role didn’t work. The duo struggled to keep up with the racy Blasters striker Iain Hume, and, to add to Chennai’s woes, left-back Dhanachandra Singh could not stop Ishfaq Ahmed from wrecking havoc on the right flank.
While solving this defensive riddle will be paramount on Materazzi’s mind, the lack of spark upfront in the last match has now left him with a new problem area. The need is to cater to two deficiencies simultaneously. The challenge is to manage both and not let one suffer at the cost of the other.
‘Right balance’
“It will be a vital to get the right balance,” said Silvestre. “But it’s tough. We have to show compactness while defending, and, of course, create as many chances as possible.”
At the start of the season, not many gave Chennai a chance. That it reached the semifinals after topping the first phase is, in itself, a creditable effort.
It’s now time for one final push.
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/indian-super-league-2014-chennaiyin-fc-versus-kerala-blasters-second-leg-semifinal/article6695294.ece
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