ISL 2019-20 | I am responsible for my team and making sure that we get points, says John Gregory

After getting only a point from their four games of the season, Chennaiyin will look to settle scores against newcomers Hyderabad FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Monday. The two-time champions are yet to score in their last 540 ISL game minutes and are desperate to secure the full points.

Chennaiyin lost to familiar foes Bengaluru FC for 3-0 in their last match before the international break. However, Chennaiyin's English coach John Gregory has taken full responsibility for his team's performances amidst his resignation rumours. 

"I think the way that we lost the last match in Bengaluru hurt me more than anything. I was extremely disappointed with the team performance and I obviously take that very seriously because I am responsible for my team and making sure that we get the points on the board. I also must take responsibility for my player selections when they do not perform. I think that the two home matches against Mumbai (City) and ATK were good. In both games we registered many shots on goal, but we couldn’t score. We dominated both games in terms of possession and passes, but we only got one point from two games where we should have got six.” John Gregory told reporters at the pre-match conference, ISL website reported.

Chennaiyin could not tame champions Bengaluru at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. And the coach expressed his disappointment with the result.

“Going into the Bengaluru game, I was very relaxed and very confident that we could get a result. I was very much on the floor after the match. They have always been our rivals. The fans had to travel five or six hours to get there. We didn’t really give them too much to shout about. I was really down after the game.” Gregory said.

"Since then we have picked each other up and got back to work and I think that is the biggest plus sign. The players were hurting as much as I was after that match and everybody is determined to get six points in the next two games which will then put us right back in the race.” the English coach added.

John Gregory also updated about star Indian striker Jeje Lalpekhlua's injury, who missed games since last season. The Mizo Sniper's availability will be a much-needed relief for a side that has struggled to score goals.

“Jeje is coming back. He is making good progress every week, but he is still not ready for selection. He is definitely better than he was about a month ago. I had a long chat with him this morning. Occasionally he feels a little sore in the knees. He has been training with the squad and is very determined to get back. We don’t want to bring him back too early so that he has a relapse and we lose him again for three to four months. We are taking it slowly for the moment. Hopefully, by December, we can get him on the bench and then on the field because that can give him a little confidence.” Gregory said.

The coach was accompanied by captain Lucian Goian who moved from Mumbai City FC last summer. The Romanian spoke about the difficult loss against Bengaluru, but also hoped Chennaiyin would come into winning ways in front of their home fans.

"After the defeat against Bengaluru, it was a difficult moment for all of us because we are in this situation, but we do not give up. It was the same when I was with Mumbai last season. Our confidence was down but then we started winning. We had a very good run and then qualified for the semis. I’m sure that we can do the same in Chennaiyin FC. We have the quality and what we need. We are just missing the goal. This is also a pressure for all of us but I’m sure that once we score our first goal, we will increase our confidence and be back on track.” Goian said.

“Sometimes, in football, we have difficult moments. We can see the strong characters then. It isn’t easy for us as well. but we had a good week of training. We have an opportunity to get our first win at home in front of the fans and I hope this gives us a lot of confidence,” the defender added.