CHENNAI: Laxmikant Kattimani saved three penalties as Hyderabad FC rose above the din with a 3-1 victory in a nerve-racking penalty shoot-out against Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League final. While HFC became champions, vindicating Manolo Márquez’s vision of a well-rounded team, football aficionados in Chennai were left wondering why their team Chennaiyin FC had a forgettable season after winning the cup twice. The clubs’ fans were all the more exasperated as CFC had the best of facilities and despite solid preparation, were found wanting in crucial games. Meanwhile, mid-way through the season, they parted ways with head coach Bozidar Bandovic following their 0-5 defeat to FC Goa, which forced them to finish in the bottom half of the table. Then, assistant coach Syed Sabir Pasha took over as the interim coach.
“The season did not go as expected for CFC. It was a disappointing performance indeed. With the kind of preparation we had and the splendid training despite the Covid situation, we should have done better,” Sabir told TNIE. “It is difficult to pinpoint one reason; lack of coordination, not gelling as a unit and the quality of play are the reasons for our poor show,” added the former star football player from Tamil Nadu.
Some football analysts argue that sacking a coach in the middle of the season was not right and also believed that the pressure on the new person would be very high. “The way results went, it was expected to happen. For me, the difficulty began when I took over as the coach of the team. I had the challenge of making players believe in themselves and play the way we wanted them to do. But at the end of it, coaching the team was good learning experience,” insisted Sabir.
In the past, CFC had some excellent foreign players like Stiven Mendoza, Elano Blumer, Bernard Mendy, Marco Materazzi and that’s why they were a strong team. Many believe that the current foreign players do not measure up to them. But Sabir was impressed by Rahim Ali, especially in the last half of the season.
Fans opine that the team needs to work on several areas, and the composition also must change for the next season. The length of the tournament due to Covid was also a factor for the team not performing to its potential. “Lack of speed cost us especially in center mid-field and defense. Definitely, we need to have changes in the composition of the team next season,” he opined.
CFC’s failure to perform has been attributed to the lack of tactics and proper execution of strategies by many fans. There were several instances in a few games where a little more effort from the defense could have resulted in favourable results. “It (poor tactics) also played a part but we cannot blame it completely. It is here that video analysis plays an important role. One needs to study their games, ensure they do not repeat the same mistakes and try to come out with something new,” signed off Sabir.