Chennaiyin FC had a season to forget last year. Only three teams were worse than the Marina Machans, who registered just three wins out of 20 games played. They were severely hit by the loss of coach Owen Coyle and top goal scorer Nerijus Valskis, who helped them finish runners-up in the previous season. The two-time champions appointed Csaba Laszlo, the Romanian-Hungarian manager, but he could not repeat Coyle’s feat as Chennai gathered only 20 points in 20 games and scored just 17 goals.
This season, they have had a significant overhaul. They have a new coach in the form of Bozidar Bandovic, a new captain in Anirudh Thapa. They were also one of the busiest teams in the transfer window. They have signed as many as five foreign players and have also bolstered their Indian talent hub.
The appointment of Bandovic is really exciting from a Chennaiyin fan’s perspective. He served as Head of Analysis and assistant coach for Ernesto Valverde. In his most recent stint at Buriram United, he boasts of successive Thai League titles (2016-17 & 2017-18) and a Thai League Manager of the Year award in 2017-18.
STRENGTH
On paper, Chennaiyin FC does not boast a handful of superstars in their ranks, but they have a decent squad that could do well in any given situation. A lot will also depend on coach Bandovic’s tactical acumen. When he joined the club, Montenegrin said, “My target is to improve the team and the players tactically, and individually.” The Yugoslavian youth team player handpicked a few signings to get the ball rolling in his style. However, we’ll have to wait and see how much have the squad adapted to the new coach’s philosophy. The midfield can also be termed as one of their strengths. They have a mix of solidity and creativity there.
WEAKNESS
Their inability to defend appropriately have hurt them for quite a long time. In addition to that, they misfired a lot last season. This year they have made a few new additions to their squad, but we’ll have to wait and see if they fire for them.
ISL 2020-21 PERFORMANCE
Chennaiyin was one of the most underwhelming teams last season. They lost several close encounters, primarily due to their misfiring forward line, but their defenders were also guilty of testing their keeper. They finished eighth with 20 points in their kitty.
MOST NOTABLE NEW SIGNING
They have added four new foreign players to their ranks, with Lukasz Gikiewicz and Vladimir Koman being the two most experienced players out of them. Both have plied their trade in top European leagues, and Chennaiyin fans would hope these two forwards fire all cylinders when the season commences.
HISTORY IN ISL
Chennaiyin FC are two-time winners of the ISL and have finished runners-up once in the 2019-20 season. Out of the seven seasons, Chennaiyin have made the playoffs four times, but they have also had three dismal seasons in 2016 (finished second-last), 2018-19 (finished last) and 2020-21 (finished eighth).
CHANCES/PREDICTION
Having undergone such a major overhaul, it will be unfair to expect instant success from Chennaiyin. A mid-table finish could be anticipated from Bozidar Bandovic and his squad.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Samik Mitra, Debjit Majumder, Devansh Dabas.
Defenders: Reagan Singh, Salam Ranjan Singh, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Narayan Das, Deepak Devrani, Davinder Singh, Slavko Damjanovic, Balaji Ganesan.
Midfielders: Ninthoinganba Meetei, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rafael Crivellaro, Ariel Borysiuk, Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, Aman Chetri, Melroy Assisi, Subhadip Majhi.
Forwards: Johnson Mathews, Rahim Ali, Jobby Justin, Mirlan Murzaev, Suhail Pasha, Vladimir Koman, Lukasz Gikiewicz.
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