Match Preview: Explosive Chennaiyins hold the edge as Pune gets out of home for first time
WITH AN EYE ON THE top of the points table, FC Pune City will take on Chennaiyin FC tonight in their first away match of the season. Chennaiyin, who are trying to recover from the shock defeat to NorthEast United, will look at this match with utmost importance in order to get their campagin back on track.
There was a tinge of regret on Chennaiyin assistant coach Vivek Nagul's voice when he conceded that the team they tried at Guwahati didn't work for them,
"We just wanted to rotate our players because this is a very compact league and we need to give a rest to the players. Yes, we didn’t get the result we expected. This time we will be playing with the team to get the three points."
What went wrong against NEUFC? Materazzi will be quick to point at the faulty penalty decision and other refereeing blunders that marred that game. But part of the reason they were dominated by Cesar Farias's boys was their decision to switch to a 4-4-2 instead of the 4-3-1-2 with Elano as the pivot that stood them in good stead against Goa and Mumbai. It's time, perhaps, to return to that and then ring in a few further changes.
Manuele Blasi can be dropped to bring back Elano into the starting XI. Bruno Pelissari, who had a sub-par night last time, can make way for Raphael Augusto. Last season's hero Bernard Mendy is having a terrible time right now so he could be replaced by Mailson Alves.
Stiven Mendoza, of course, should get a start after he was rested against NEUFC. The Colombian striker is the leading goalscorer in ISL right now, with 5 goals in 5 appearances. Fikru can wait. Mendoza has to start. And while we're at it, starting Jayesh Rane instead of Jeje Lalpekhlua might make for some extra pace to go along with up front.
A win at home is long overdue for Chennaiyin FC this season. After they squandered the opening match through some defensive blunders, they have been on the road ever since. Coming back home to the tune of an emphatic win over a title challenger is just the kind of shaping-up Materazzi would like for his campaign.
Pune City, however, are the epitome of stability right now. Apart from the 1-2 loss to Delhi in the match where coach David Platt heavily experimented with the team, they have duly snatched victory from their opponents. They are one point behind the top-of-the-table FC Goa with a game in hand, and a win tonight will propel them back to what they might see as their rightful place at the summit.
But the one thing that will be of bother to Platt is the fact that this is their first venture away from home. And their opponents are anything but a team to be trifled with, as Platt acknowledged in the pre-match presser,
"They are a good side they seem settled. They have a manager with experience and that counts... we are aware of their strength and will treat them with the respect they deserve. They have strong players, who can make a difference."
While it is not unlike Platt and his gentlemanly ways to talk up an opponent before a match, but these musings do reflect some genuine concern underneath. It won't be an easy night for the Stallions.
They do not, however, have to tinker a lot with their team. The team that took on Kolkata was a good balanced team that could hold the game and disrupt the opponents' rhythm, something that can come in handy against Chennaiyin. Perhaps Bikash Jairu can come into the starting line-up instead of Lenny Rodrigues. But otherwise the strategy should be the same; sneak a lead, bite down and defend. Efficient percentage football has helped them secure a number of points from difficult opponents this season.
It's going to be a war between the explosive Chennaiyin FC and the grounded, controlling Pune City. For Pune City it's a chance to prove that they are a real title contender, able to hold their own both at home and on the road. For Chennaiyin FC, it is an opportunity to make amends to their fans, and prove that the loss to NEUFC was just an anomaly, that they are still the team to reckon with that dominated the regular season last year.
Probable Starting Line-Ups:
Chennaiyin FC - Apoula Edel, Dhanachandra Singh, Mailson Alves, Alessandro Potenza, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Jayesh Rane, Raphael Augusto, Harmanjot Khabra, Elano, Stiven Mendoza, Jayesh Rane
FC Pune City - Steve Simonsen, Nicky Shorey, Roger Johnson, Gouramangi Singh, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Bikash Jairu, Didier Zokora, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Tuncay Sanli, Yendrick Ruiz, Jackichand Singh
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