AHMEDABAD: What a difference a couple of weeks can make! When Chennaiyin FC last trotted out at The Arena, they were clutching at straws. A dismal season had been followed by a rather laborious victory over two legs against Sri Lankan club Colombo FC. Their forwards had been firing blanks for a while. That showed against Minerva Punjab, as they split points despite having the better chances. Fast forward to the present and John Gregory’s men are on a high.
They once again resembled the team that had willed its way to the ISL title twelve months ago, as they reached the Super Cup final. The return of vital links like Dhanpal Ganesh and Jerry Lalrinzuala seemed to have lent a modicum of balance to their defence, and the Blues conceded just two goals in their four Super Cup games. In attack, CK Vineeth looks to have settled in, scoring twice in four games. The upturn in fortunes has come at the right time in Chennaiyin’s quest for continental glory. Wednesday’s AFC Cup clash against Nepalese club Manang Marshyangdi represents the first of five matches that will decide whether the team will progress to the zonal semifinals in June.
After dropping points in their first group game, anything other than a win against Manang will leave Chennaiyin’s hopes in tatters. After this, they have just the one home game left, against Bangladeshi club Dhaka Abahani. That precedes a run of three away games in hostile terrain. “There has been a big improvement defensively. We are quite happy in that department,” Gregory said in his pre-match press conference. “We need to be a little bit more offensive..” Gregory believes that getting Jerry and Ganesh back on the pitch has played a big role in their improved form.
The latter, especially, had proved tough to replace. “He (Ganesh) was a big miss for us this year. The fortunes of the team have improved since he came back. It was very difficult to try and replace him. We tried numerous permutations but none worked. He does a number of jobs, which is commendable.” Their opponents may have lost their first encounter against Dhaka Abahani, but the result betrays what was a very competent performance from the Nepalese side. They had more than 60 per cent of the ball, and created chances to only fritter them away in the final third. If their forwards can find their scoring boots, they could hurt Chennaiyin. “We need three points and my players are ready for that,” said Manag coach Chirring Gurung. “We have learnt from our mistakes. We have rectified them in training.”