PRE-MATCH Quips - Materazzi: All games since I was born are finals for me; Guimaraes says the team is in the right direction

HAVING PLAYED A GAME LESS Chennaiyin FC can become joint leaders on the points table with a win. Materazzi on his side's performance in the first half of the league said,

“I’m happy about the first game where we played one of the favourites and we played well [a 2-2 draw]. Our team is almost new because we brought in nearly 5-6 new players, which is a positive thing. Negative is the game against Delhi [which Chennaiyin lost 3-1] but I think there is a little positive in that because after that my players understood that they had to fight for every ball, that they had to have that hunger and that they had to forget the last year. Now we are in the run for the semis, we’re not top of table but we’re not last, so overall everything is going good,”

Mumbai City FC are playing after a gap of 7 days since the last game they played on October 25, will be using the rest to their advantage in the coming match.

Speaking to the press Guimaraes on Tuesday said,

"We used it to recharge our batteries. Everybody knows that we have a tough schedule. We have three or four regulars injured. So we took our time to help those players recover. We also tried to introduce other ideas and plans for the second phase. So I think the break came like a blessing as we had time to be at home, to recover, to practice, taking our time, knowing we don't have to hurry, and like I said, recharging our batteries"

Guimaraes continued,

“Every game is different. I don't know how many chances we can make tomorrow. But what I'm sure of is that our players are becoming clearer about the philosophy and the way we have to play as per what opponent we're facing. Home or away, we're showing our play game by game. I'm waiting to see which players are available for tomorrow. Some of them are still recovering. I hope I can have eighty percent of the team fit and ready for tomorrow"

Chennaiyin FC Head Coach on the draw against Kerala and how he looks forward to the Mumbai game said,

“All games since I was born are finals for me. Not just the ISL, and if it wasn’t the case I wouldn’t have won the World Cup. Also all managers are like magicians, I am also a magician. We didn’t concede the last game and maybe we should have scored in the first half and they played better in second half so I think draw is a fair result. In this league, if we win the next game we’re top and if we lose we’re fifth. As usual we’ll take every game as a final and give everything we can for a result.”

On how his team has fared in the matches and if his ideology set at the start of the tournament has worked for him, Guimaraes said,

“I think all of us start the season thinking of a range of points to get into the top four. But as the games go on, the league shows us that this season to go to the top four maybe we'll need around two or three points fewer. We're in the right direction. We're aiming to take points. It's very important to take points.”

In a closely fought contest between the teams at the top of the table, Materazzi said,

“My opinion is that the quality of the league has gone up and that’s why we have so many draws this year. The table being so close is a sign that the quality is going up. In our attack, we lost the quality up front with Mendoza not joining us. If he were to come back to India, he would have joined us but he chose to be in New York and I wish him all the best for that. We got in Mulder who is great but unfortunately now he is injured because of a tackle in the last game. I wouldn’t care about winning by two goals at the moment [which could take Chennaiyin to the top of the league on goal difference], we could just win with one goal and try our best to make the semis."
 

Guimaraes would be happy with the team's performance this season but the head-to-head record against CFC is not the best. But to Guimaraes, this statistic, is not something that he would not pay too much attention to and said,

“First of all, our squad is totally different from the last two seasons. I don't think I have any player that has this memory. It's a different situation. We know that we're going to play against the champions, who have been working with a philosophy and a set of players for more time than us. I feel that we're doing well and we have to keep doing well to pick points from here”

Materazzi was wary of the problems that can be created by Mumbai City FC marquee player Diego Forlan. On that he said,

“To stop Forlan, you need the whole team to stop a player like that because if you make one mistake, then he is going to score for sure. I think that’s what gives motivation. That each and every player of my team knows that it’s an honour to play against a champion like him. They’d want to show everybody and show me that they have what it takes to counter-attack a champion player like him"

The Mumbai City Head Coach spoke well about his marquee player and his role in the teams victories of the season,

"When Forlan plays, he usually scores or assists. When he plays, the other teams are more aware and have more focus on dealing with him. When he plays, the TV ratings sky up. When he plays, the stadium turnout is better. When he plays, our players feel better. What else can you ask of a marquee player?"

Chennaiyin FC are known to step up their game at occasions to surprise everyone. Asked about his thoughts on this Guimaraes said,

“Football is always unpredictable. However much you try to dissect, it always comes as a surprise. You never know. That is what is good for football. If you can predict everything, it becomes very boring. In our case, we try to alert our players about their capacity of play, their fighting spirit and about the atmosphere. What I've seen here with the crowd and the stadium is that it's a good atmosphere to play in. We know there are a few players who're not going to play, but like we showed in Kolkata, there are a few guys waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity to show that they are there. I hope that happens against Chennaiyin as well.”