MATCH PREVIEW: Chennai look to clamp down on errors against a Pride nursing their wounds
AFTER A HEARTBREAK AT HOME, Chennaiyin FC are now on the road, at the Capital seeking their first points in this edition of ISL.
They will be facing a Pride of Lions nursing their wounds; Delhi Dynamos saw themselves outplayed in alsmost all departments by an ambitious FC Goa side. Now back home, the Roberto Carlos-led franchise will look to turn things around for themselves.
The main concern for the visitors tonight would be to clamp down on the individual mistakes that saw them gift two easy goals to Atletico de Kolkata during their previous game. The blunders ultimately cost them a match where they otherwise looked very much besides themselves.
The Delhi Dynamos player-coach Roberto Carlos will be worried about keeping his defence together, after being called out time and again by FC Goa's wing-play. Their forward line, too, failed them badly, failing to score even a single goal from the 11 shots they had on target. They were a tad bit unlucky as well, as the couple of times they managed to convincingly beat the goalkeeper, they hit the post.
Chennaiyin FC will have an additional problem to deal with as 3 of their Indian players, namely Jeje Lalpekhlua (who scored the first goal for them in that game), Dhanachandra Singh and Karanjit Singh, have left the squad to join the Indian national team for two World Cup Qualifier matches.
Delhi, meanwhile, have already played their first game without national team players Robin Singh, Sehnaj Singh and Francis Fernandes. Roberto Carlos wasn't mighty pleased about having to let them go, but he will take solace in the fact that this is not a fresh problem he is having to deal with right now, unlike Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi.
But his team formation is still suffering, particularly due to the absence of forward Robin Singh. Due to the Indian international not being there, Carlos does not have an domestic player to play up front. Hence, he had to go for two foreign strikers, and played Shylo Mama in the midfield, forced to keep the proven and dependable Brazilian medio Gustavo Marmentini out of the starting line up. The situation will not change till Robin comes back after the Oman vs India fixture on 13th October.
What Materazzi will try to figure out is the way to replace his goal-scoring striker up front. Balwant Singh could replace Jeje Lalpekhlua. Fikru Teferra, who played the first game with pain and had to be subbed out after the one hour mark, could be given a rest with Mendoza starting in his stead. The Ethopian striker, the team management has said, will be brought on based on strategic need.
There doesn't seem to be any need for further tweaking for Chennaiyin FC. All they need to make sure that their defence keeps things tight and does not commit the severe individual blunders that proved to be their undoing. Assistant coach Vivek Negul acknowledged as much,
"Yes, we conceded silly goals. We know our mistakes. We are working on it."
As for Roberto Carlos, he may decide to give Adil Nabi, the young striker loaned from West Ham who came on as a substitute and did well, a start at the front with Richard Dadzie. Carlos has confessed that he would like to play longer for his team, but at age his body does not permit that kind of hard work. Even as a substitute in the first match, he wasn't very effective, struggling to keep up the pace. But he produced one moment of brilliance with a free kick that went right through the wall and almost broke the deadlock for the Dynamos. So while he can still be effective in certain situations, he will be starting off the bench.
Although there are less options available to him due to injury and national duty, Carlos needs to pay heed to the fact that the 5-3-2 approach he employed in the first game led to bad wing-play and allowed Mandar Rao Dessai and Romeo Fernandes to move freely up the flanks (yesterday Atletico de Kolkata effectively held them down by having a wider midfield with 4-3-2-1). To have a better chance against the an extra alert Chennaiyin FC defence they need some more activity up the flanks. But Carlos probably will not want to take that risk on his defence now, against a team he considers to be "one of the favourites of the ISL." His side could have easily lost by 5-6 goals had it not been for the stellar performance put on by goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh.
What Carlos will really be hoping for, as he prepares to take on a Chennaiyin side that is desperate to re-assert itself as a legitimate title contender, is that his forwards convert better and hit the post less often. He is not shy about talking the game up,
"It will be a keenly contested match. I also have a great team and tomorrow's match will be one of the best matches of the competition."
We'll find out soon enough.
Probable Starting XI:
Delhi Dynamos FC: Sanjiban Ghosh, Zodingliana Ralte, John Arne Riise, Chicao, Anwar Ali, Souvik Chakraborty, Florent Malouda, Hans Mulder, Shylo Mama, Richard Gadze, Adil Nabi
Chennaiyin FC: Apoula Edel, Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte, Alessandro Potenza, Mailson Alves, Abhishek Das, Thoi Singh, Elano, Rafael Augusto, Harmanjot Khabra, Stiven Mendoza, Balwant Singh
