CHENNAI: When Alfred Planas hit the net to register Inter Kashi’s second goal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday, Chennaiyin FC dugout wore a sorry look. Clifford Miranda, who is trying to instill a new style of play this season, witnessed his team fail yet again, and this time in a meek fashion.
The defenders did their bit to avoid conceding chances — apart from an awkward header from Mohammed Ali Bemmamer that fell perfectly to Planas who then slotted into the bottom right corner — but Chennaiyin's lack of proactiveness posed a concern. In the first half, the hosts only had four touches in the opposition box. Inigo Martin, who returned to the squad for Tuesday’s match, failed to make an impact for his side, further continuing his cold streak.
He was substituted with Daniel Chima-Chukwu in the 59th minute. In the second half, the team woke up and tried to take the direct approach. Farukh Choudhury’s left-footed ground shot in the 61st minute was the first shot on goal. Then, only two other shots came on target, with Chima-Chukwu's volley finding the net at the fifth minute of stoppage time.
What makes this issue more concerning is that Chennaiyin had the ball for most parts. Finishing the game with 66 per cent, Chennaiyin failed to convert that to productive possession. In fact, head coach Clifford Miranda had said that the team was working on it. “I like to play possession-based football. But not for the sake of it. For me, it's called a progressive possession. Ultimately, the most important thing is to reach the opponent's goal. Sometimes if we can reach it with one pass, we'll go with one pass. If we require 20 passes, we'll make 20. So, the most important thing is to make the right decision,” he had said.
While some good decisions from the players helped create good chances, the approach the team began with at home against a team which has lost three games on the trot is a concern. After this 1-2 loss, Chennaiyin are now positioned 11th in the league with five points. With seven games to go in the season, a course correction in their attacking approach is the need of the hour.
Result: Chennaiyin FC 1 (Chima-Chukwu 90'+5) lost to Inter Kashi 2 (Planas 46', 54').