Chennaiyin FC will certainly be marked as one of the favourites for the 2016 Indian Super League crown as well. However, with the current squad devoid of key figures of the Blue Devil’s title triumph last year, Marco Materazzi has a real task on his hands if he is to harbour hopes of emulating their 2015 exploits
As the 3rd edition of the Indian Super League draws closer and closer, the onus will be on the MS Dhoni and Abhishek Bachchan-owned Chennaiyin FC franchise to match their sparkling triumph in the 2015 campaign. However, the absence of key members of that successful team like Stiven Mendoza and Elano Blumer will pave the way for a testing title defence ahead for Marco Materazzi’s boys.
The club have made an array of signings to fill the void left behind by the duo and whether they will be fruitful additions to the squad will be known once the season gets underway. Needless to say Chennaiyin have been among the more consistent performers in the ISL having made it to the knock-out stage on both the previous occasions. It will therefore leave supporters demanding nothing short of yet another challenge for the title this time around. With that established, The Hard Tackle will now delve further previewing the Chennaiyin FC squad ahead of the new edition of the Indian Super League.
Squad Analysis
Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh, Duwayne Kerr, Pawan Kuma
Having lost the services of Apoula Edel Bete to FC Pune City this time around, Karanjit Singh will be expected to don the role of first-choice shot-stopper for Chennaiyin. However, he can expect a fair amount of competition from new recruit Duwayne Kerr. The Jamaican international arrives onto the Indian footballing scene with European experience courtesy of the Icelandic Tippeligaen. It’s there to be seen if either of Karanjit or Duwayne emerge a viable replacement for Edel, who aided the “Super Machans” in keeping a league-high tally of six clean sheets last season. It is expected that Karanjit will start in goal for Chennaiyin as Materazzi will then be afforded the luxury of accommodating the extra foreign player in another area of the park – in keeping with the limit of six foreign nationals in the starting XI. Pawan Kumar could be facing a spell on the sidelines as it is highly unlikely he’ll upstage a player of Karanjit Singh’s experience and quality in goal.
Defenders : Bernard Mendy, Dhanachandra Singh, John Arne Riise, Eder Monteiro Fernandes, Abhishek Das, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Nallapan Mohanraj, Prosenjit Chakraborty.
The notable addition to the Chennaiyin defence is, of course, the arrival of Liverpool legend and former Delhi Dynamos defender, John Arne Riise. That mean left foot of his has got his respective teams many a break-through in his illustrious career, but Materazzi will hope the Norwegian brings with him an unparalleled experience in the full-back position. The Blue Devils posted the highest tally of clean sheets in the 2015 campaign and also the least goals conceded. However, that doesn’t sugar-coat the poor start they endured to their season when they saw themselves rooted to the bottom of the table after three quarters of the season. A large part of those troubles were attributed to a poor defensive show and lack of edge in the final third. Materazzi did manage to enforce some discipline at the back towards the fag end of the campaign as Chennaiyin completed an incredible come-back to eventually secure the title against all odds.
Captain Bernard Mendy returns for a third season with the Blue Devils and will undoubtedly be among the first-names on the team-sheet. It’ll be interesting to see who partners him in centre-back with the likes of Eder Monteiro and with new recruit Eli Sabia to choose from. Mehrajuddin Wadoo was phenomenal for Chennai last season establishing himself as one of the best right-backs in the league. He will have competition from young Abhishek Das who has appeared 7 times thus far in his two year period at the club. After two seasons with Atletico De Kolkata, Nallapan Mohanraj returns to his native Chennai to ply his trade in left-back with the Blue Devils and will serve as a viable back-up for Riise, if required.
Midfielders : Raphael Augusto, Thoi Singh, Hans Mulder, Manuele Blasi, Harmanjot Khabra, Dhanpal Ganesh, Baoringdao Bodo, Anirudh Thapa, Baljit Sahni, Zakeer Mundampara, Siam Hanghal
The Chennaiyin FC midfield has undergone a makeover in light of the absence of key playmakers like Elano Blumer and Bruno Pelissari who both opted out of turning up for a third consecutive season with the Blue Devils. The owners have, however, have gone out and invested in the acquisitions of Hans Mulder from Delhi Dynamos and Siam Hanghal from North East United FC.
Dutchman Mulder arrives with rich European pedigree and is no stranger to the Indian footballing circuit either. He was a key cog in midfield for the Delhi Dynamos over the course of the last couple of seasons when he turned up with 28 appearances for them scoring 3 goals and assisting one other. He could be a direct replacement for Elano in the side lining up in centre-attacking midfield. Raphael Augusto will be expected to get a deeper look into the first-team set up this time around having played second-fiddle for Elano and Pelissari in the past couple of seasons. The Brazilian offers Materazzi the versatility of playing him in a defensive midfield position along with his preferred centre-midfield duties.
Thoi Singh was a valuable player in left-midfield for Chennaiyin last time around with his pace, tenacity and ability on the ball ably setting up the forwards. And it’s no surprise that the “Super Machans” have stuck with the 26-year-old and as he enters his 3rd season with the Chennai outfit, he is only expected to further imprint his value and importance to the side. In addition to the presence of Italian Manuele Blasi, Chennaiyin’s recent investment in a host of home-grown prospects like Anirudh Thapa, Baljit Sahni, Baoringdao Bodo, Zakeer Mundampara and Dhanpal Ganesh gives Materazzi a lot of options to exploit in midfield.
Forwards : Jeje Lalpekhlua, MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Jayesh Rane, Davide Succi, Mauricio Peluso, Uttam Rai, Bedashwor Singh.
There is no sugar-coating the loss Chennaiyin would feel in the absence of their Colombian forward Stiven Mendoza. The 24-year-old who misses out on this edition due to his participation with New York City FC in the MLS will be dearly missed by the defending Champions given how important an outlet of goals he has been in the past seasons. However, Materazzi will hope the acquisitions of Davide Succi and Mauricio Peluso back from his homeland along with Dudu from FC Goa will help fill the void left behind by his star forward.
With the presence of one of India’s brightest prospects, Jeje Lalpekhlua in his ranks in addition to the recent arrivals Materazzi wouldn’t be wrong to think his team have enough firepower in attack to wage a decent title defence this time around. Lalpekhlua finished with a tally of 6 goals second only to Mendoza who finished with a staggering total of 13 goals. This time, however, the onus in attack will be on the 25-year-old Indian international. Daniel Lalhlimpuia, who plays for Bengaluru FC, arrives on loan, offering his services till the end of the campaign and could make his ISL bow with the defending champions. Chennaiyin, at their best, were a free-scoring side last season and Materazzi will hope to keep that intact this time around as well.
Coach
Abhishek Bachchan will be delighted to keep the services of Materazzi in a coaching role once again as he bids to prove that his team’s success last term wasn’t a one-off. The former Italian defender is no stranger to success and title defences having carried them out with aplomb during his years with Inter Milan. Materazzi will be keen to build on his portfolio as a coach and his personal drive to succeed could work to Chennaiyin’s favour.
Expectations
Following their inspirational success last year, expectations are bound to be understandably high going into the 2016 season. And the Blue Devils have done well to harbour those expectations with a positive run in pre-season run in Italy that has seen them take four wins out of four against some quality opposition. Despite losing out on key overseas players like Elano, Pelissari and Mendoza, they have retained their core group of Indian players to work with. And whose to say under the tutelage of an ambitious boss like Materazzi, the boys from Marina won’t have a shot at vying for the coveted ISL trophy once more.
