#TFGtake - For bruised giants Chennai & Goa it's more about fixing themselves than furthering a rivalry

THESE ARE TWO of the highest achieving teams in Indian Super League. 

Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa topped the points table in the 2014 and 2015 edition. Both the teams made it into the final last year, and what followed amounted to nothing short of a tactonic shift in the Indian football circuit; a fight, an arrest, following which controversies piled up over other controversies and the messy situation ended in the two principal stakeholders of FC Goa, Srinivas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar, having to leave the franchise.

Chennaiyin FC, who were the winner on the night, did not come out unscathed either. Their treasured attacking medio Elano Blumer, who suffered an arrest after the 2015 final, decided not to come back again. 

So when Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa face each other again, for the first time after that fateful night last year, you bet that baggage will be in play. Both teams have a number of players in their squad who were present last year and both have kept their coaches. In a tournament lacking in diversity and history, these two teams come closest to having a legitimate rivalry. 

So can Thursday's match at the Marina Arena be called a re-match of last year's finale? A grudge match where two battered stalwarts meet again in a high profile resumption of their rivalry? Well, one would like to imagine that, but the circumstances surrounding these two teams aren't that great, which means the big contest between last year's finalists may not live up to its billing. 

Chennaiyin FC started their campaign with a draw against Atletico de Kolkata, but then suffered a defeat to Atletico de Kolkata. FC Goa, meanwhile, have lost both their opening games; away to NorthEast United and home to Pune City. The two most consistent teams in ISL's short history are suddenly falling short against teams who have rapidly developed. Have the tables turned?

Armed with a solid Indian contingent and coaches with keen footballing sense, Zico's FC Goa and Materazzi's Chennaiyin FC came out as dominant forces in 2014 while most other franchises were still trying to figure themselves out. And in 2015, when almost all the teams underwent all-encompassing changes, both Chennai and Goa managed to retain their core players as well as coaches. This gave them a head-start over most other franchises in the 2nd edition of ISL as well. 

But in 2016, things are different. The ISL franchises know that they must become real football clubs, and have gradually begun to approach things more practically and professionally. No longer are there gimmicky 'marquee' signings, and everyone has focused on getting a good coach in place. In short, others have changed themselves, while these two teams have not changed fast enough with the times.

While the competition has become tougher, the old swords have lost their shine for Chennai and Goa. Chennaiyin FC are missing their two big attackers, Elano and Mendoza, and that seems to have seriously hampered their never-say-die attitude that saw them come out of so many tight corners with positive results last year. And FC Goa, for whatever reason, don't seem to be getting the best out of their Indian players.

Hence, getting their campaign back on track will be a bigger issue for the coaches to address tomorrow than settling old scores or trying to up the ante from their previous games.

So far, whenever these two teams have met, there have been fireworks. In the 5 previous games, Chennaiyin FC have won thrice, while FC Goa have been victorious twice. The lowest scoring game between them was the 0-2 win for Goa at Chennai last year, and the highest scoring was the 2-3 grand finale showdown. But this year, things may go differently. 

Chennaiyin FC have experienced first-hand how a structured attack with enough speed and discipline can repeatedly get the better of them. Against ATK, they got two scrappy goals to secure a draw, they were less lucky against DDFC. So they may not be all gung-ho about an all-out attacking gameplay next time and focus on getting themselves in order first. They have been outplayed in the midfield on both occasions and the defenders have committed some errors; so it may serve them to be a bit moderate.

Meanwhile, FC Goa are riding a 3 match losing streak that started with the loss to Chennaiyin in the ISL 2015 final. So beating them to end it seems like a great prospect for poetic justice, but there's a lot they have to address in their own gameplay before they can go about that. Reinaldo, their star striker from last year, isn't at his best. Julio Cesar has had some good moments, but he's not going to be as good as in-form Reinaldo. Now Zico has to take a call between sticking with an in-form Reinaldo and taking a punt on Cesar.

Some Indian players, like Mandar Rao Desai and Romeo Fernandes (both of whom got dragged into the controversy) are not at their best either. They played for Dempo in the 2nd Division League, and lost their places in the national team. That has to affect their game at some level. And FC Goa are missing their competent on-field partnership. The Gaurs are missing Robin Singh too as he continues his recovery from the injury that made him miss most of last season. 

And their marquee defender, Lucio, looks slower. He got beaten by the strikers' pace multiple times in the first two games and the likes of Jeje Lalpekhlua and Jayesh Rane can take advantage of that. At 38, Lucio only plays competitive football 2-3 months a year at ISL. That's not encouraging. The defence as a whole has been leaky, too. Kattimani made a couple of howlers in the first game and in the next match there was nervousness in the back four every time the ball went to him. It's an unhealthy situation to be in.

So both Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa are worried about the way their defence has looked so far. And their attacks, too, are yet to fully take shape. And knowing both coaches, neither of them will want to hold back. That could make it a scrappy affair of constant counter-attacks; maybe a goalfest but not the kind that we've seen from them; with the side that manages to maintain better shape coming out as the winner. 

Here, FC Goa seem to hold a slight advantage. There seems to be better cohesion in their midfield; the fabled 'Samba Spine' can move up in unison presenting a greater danger to the Chennai defence. They do it enough times, it will produce goals. And as we have seen in the match between Chennai and Delhi; even when down by a goal, the team did not show enough adaptability to respond to the urgency of the situation. The Gaurs, however, responded with vigour after going a goal down against Pune City. Ndoye's goal that lost them the game was a late sucker punch, and that doesn't happen everyday. 

The best bet for Chennaiyin FC would be to try and get an early goal and then keep as much possession as possible. But if the visitors score first, it's likely to be game over.