If the 4-0 thrashing of FC Goa on 11 October was a sign of Chennaiyin FC’s resurgence after back to back losses in their first two games, then their 2-0 win over Mumbai City FC on Friday evening was a billboard that advertised their emergence as contenders for the Indian Super League.
Such is the nature of the tournament that a couple of confident wins can go a long way in elevating a team’s status. More losses will come no doubt. But two wins out of two with goals scored and none conceded is a fine return after a drab start.
Meanwhile it seems that Mumbai City FC are being followed by the shadows of last season. The side finished seventh in a campaign riddled with goal-scoring woes — and despite the introduction Sunil Chhetri, still seem to be suffering from the same issues.
It may be too early to judge Nicolas Anelka’s side, but the signs are not good. Just like last year, they have lost two of their first three matches. At the same stage last season, The Blues had a goal difference of zero and three points. This year, they have a goal difference of -4 and one point to their name. As their assistant coach Oscar Bruzon said after the match, “The pressure is on. Absolutely.”
To be fair to Mumbai, this was one of their better performances. They created a lot of chances down both wings and were a handful when Lalchhuanmawia Fanai and Sony Norde attacked down the left. They had 12 attempts on goal and 54 percent possession.
But Bruzon was brutal in his assessment as usual. He didn’t blame any individuals, but much of what he said after the match pointed to one thing: there are problems in the side when it comes to cohesion, finishing chances and possibly attitude towards games.
“Hopefully these losses and the stress makes the players come together, because maybe we are taking too many things lightly,” he said.
There has to be a tactical change too. While Mumbai were busy figuring out whether Chhetri should play on the right or the left (No 10 is his favourite position), Chennayin slowly crept into the game. India’s top-scorer will hit form but he was too jaded to make a real difference at the DY Patil Stadium.
Chennaiyin came with a plan to play compact football in the defensive third. Marco Materazzi said after the game that he had asked his midfielders to play close to the defence line to avoid being hit on the counter. Chennaiyin also knew that Mumbai would at some point make individual mistakes. They made two, and the visitors scored off both — the first one a silly attempt to pass the ball out of danger when it should have been cleared, allowing Elano to set up Stiven Mendoza. The second was allowing Mendoza to rush in unmarked to head in a Jayesh Rane shot that had clattered off the crossbar.
Chennaiyin also controlled the midfield. Materazzi said before the start of the tournament that he would bare last season’s habit of conceding goals if he was guaranteed top spot again. He told the media on Friday night that such was the approach in 2014 that ‘we should score one more than the opposition.’ Their back-to-back cleansheets show that this strategy has changed.
While Elano and Mendoza will take home the plaudits, it was the physically indomitable Raphael Augusto who was their best player in Mumbai. The Brazilian is on his sixth loan stint from parent club Fluminense and was supreme in midfield: tough-tackling, turning on the challenge, passing cleverly and arrowing half a dozen diagonals towards the wings which always seemed to find their mark. With a man who could release players with such ease, Mumbai had to hold back pressing when not in possession, forcing their wingers to track back and defend to regain control.
Chennaiyin’s losses against Atletico de Kolkata and Delhi Dynamos are now far behind. This is a team that murders individual mistakes and is learning to defend with every passing match. As for Mumbai City, they need to start putting some points on the board to avoid a repeat of last season.