Last year’s semi-finalists Chennaiyin FC have had a mixed Hero Indian Super League Season 2. They started with two consecutive losses before evening it out with back-to-back wins and then came another loss. However, in their last game they beat tabletoppers FC Pune City to make it three wins and three losses in six games, and on Saturday they play Kerala Blasters FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. Assistant coach Vivek Nagul, speaking to the media ahead of the game, said the Super Machans had no plans to curb their attacking instinct and that the match against the Blasters will see no different approach from them.
“Well, tactically we always play for a win, be it home or away. Sometimes playing on the attack leads to conceding goals, and sometimes the decision did not go our way. We've been strong in our attacking moves and we'll continue doing that,” Nagul told reporters on Friday.
When asked if his team had the upper hand against a team languishing at the bottom with four defeats in six matches, Nagul said: “…Kerala is good team with good players and we are ready for the match tomorrow. They've got good support and spectators, we've prepared ourselves like we do with any away game and we're expecting a fresh match.”
Sitting alongside Nagul was Italian midfielder Manuele Blasi. He shared his ISL experience so far with the press. “I'm really impressed with the standard of the ISL, there are both good foreign players and Indian players,” he said.
Kochi has seen the biggest turn-outs so far in the league and Blasi was excited at the prospect of playing in front of thousands of spectators. “As a footballer we look to play in front of huge crowds, to be honest the other matches had good crowds too, but people have been telling me a lot about Kerala and the Kochi crowd and I'm looking forward to playing in front of them. Football is all about the fans and the players have fun [playing in front of them],” he said.
Morgan: One win away from finding form
Last year’s finalists Kerala Blasters FC are having a hard time in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League. After six matches, they are at the bottom of the league with four defeats and caretaker coach Trevor Morgan wants to change that, ahead of their game against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Morgan said: “There's only a one-goal difference in our every loss and a lot of those goals came from mistakes. Unlike last year this year, we are being punished for every mistake. The harder you play the more you get punished. Last year we were making mistakes but we weren't punished so much.
“In football, I believe we just a result away from finding our form. I can't say there is any lack of confidence or anything of that sort because the players are training really well.”
Ahead of the second season, Kerala were the only team not to train abroad. When asked if training in Trivandrum and playing against some weak teams there wasn’t a good idea in hindsight, Morgan said, “We could say yes now, but the fact of the matter is that we were in Trivandrum and not many teams were ready to play in Trivandrum…Pre-season is all about fitness levels and the fitness levels of the players are good.”
Morgan chalked the team’s poor performance up to conceding cheap goals. “I think we're scoring goals, we only scored nine goals last season but that's not the case now. I think we're been giving cheap goals and I feel that's the reason behind the present slump,” he said.
With the league almost reaching the half-stage, Kerala don’t have much time to get their campaign back on track. On a question regarding whether he was under pressure in the present situation, the Englishman said: “…I don't think that anybody can put more pressure than the person himself. All I can say that I want my players to win and be successful.”
Carlos thanks Kolkata crowd after important win
Delhi Dynamos FC registered their fourth win in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League on Thursday evening and marquee player-cum-coach Roberto Carlos, who also featured in the game, was a happy man.
Delhi beat defending champions Atlético de Kolkata 1-0 at the Salt Lake Stadium thanks to a Gustavo dos Santos strike late into the match. The Brazilian came on in the second half and Carlos was happy that the move paid off.
“Usually the teams are slowing down in the second half, and dos Santos is very fast. So he has the ability to come in and speed it up. It’s a very important victory for us,” Carlos told reporters after the match.
On his second appearance this season that saw the spectators in the stadium stand up to their feet to greet him, Carlos said: “I will thank the supporters of Atlético de Kolkata for their love. I’m very happy to play in front of them. For me it’s an honour.”
Carlos continued: “It’s awesome obviously. From among the ISL grounds, Delhi obviously ours, Kerala, Goa and Kolkata have been great. Fan support has been great. This makes the player more eager to play. Once again thank you so much for all the support.”
Dos Santos, who also addressed the media, said the team was more focussed this year. “Yes the team is different. This year we are chasing better things, last year it’s not that we did not want to but this year our focus is outstanding,” he said.
Ten-man Delhi beat Kolkata with late goal
Ten-man Delhi Dynamos FC beat defending champions Atlético de Kolkata 1-0 courtesy of a goal from super-sub Gustavo dos Santos at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in front 41,145 spectators after local boy Souvik Chakraborty had been sent off for the Lions with ten minutes to spare in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League on Thursday evening.
The visitors had the best of the opening exchanges with Chicao, Hans Mulder and Florent Malouda dominating the midfield. Kolkata’s Ofenste Nato’s effort on goal in the 11th minute was the first of the match as both teams were still feeling each other out in a rather cagey opening to the game.
Iain Hume headed at goal five minutes later as head coach Antonio Lopez Habas looked to galvanise his men on the pitch from the side-lines after two successive losses. Malouda had Delhi Dynamos FC’s first chance of any substance around the 21-minute mark, but the former French international failed to keep his header on target.
The best opportunity of the match for Delhi came two minutes later when Richard Gadze wrestled his way into ATK’s penalty area. Gadze too failed to keep his attempt on target, much to the delight of the local crowd.
Atlético de Kolkata had their best opportunity of the half eight minutes from the break. A left-footed free-kick found Baljit Sahni perfectly near Delhi’s six-yard area but the robust midfielder shot wide in keeping with the theme of the first period as both sides went into the tunnel at the break without breaking the deadlock.
The second half got off to a more enterprising start with both sides pressing on in search of the game’s opening goal. Gadze almost found the back of the net at the hour mark, but the Ghanaian once again shot wide of the target.
The game got a new lease of life four minutes later when Delhi’s marquee player-cum-coach Robert Carlos came on to replace John Arne Riise and received a rapturous ovation upon his introduction from everyone at the stadium.
The tension was palpable as the game neared its end with both teams looking to settle for a draw. However, with 10 minutes left on the clock, Souvik Chakraborty put Delhi in a real pickle when he was given his marching orders by the referee for a challenge.
Habas decided to seize the opportunity and maximise his team’s man advantage by throwing on Sushil Kumar Singh in the hope of finding a winner. It would be Delhi Dynamos FC though, who got that winner during the last minute of added time.
Malouda did brilliantly to bamboozle Kolkata’s defenders inside the box before squaring perfectly for substitute dos Santos to calmly slot into the net. It was dos Santos’ first goal in Season 2 of the Hero ISL and helped Delhi climb to second spot in the table behind FC Pune City on goal difference.
Match Awards:
Club Award: Delhi Dynamos FC
Swift Moment of the Match: Toni Doblas (Delhi Dynamos FC)
Amul Fittest Player of the Match: Iain Hume (ATK)
ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Rino Anto (ATK)
Hero of the Match: Anas Edathodika (Delhi Dynamos FC)
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