ISL 2019-20 | Didn’t think for one minute the game will end the way that it did, laments Phil Brown

Newcomers Hyderabad FC lost another match as Chennaiyin FC raced to their first win in the ISL 2019-20 season on Monday. Substitute Andre Schembri opened the goal for Chennaiyin in stoppage time, however, within seconds Hyderabad defender Matthew Kilgallon scored an equalizer before Chennaiyin striker Nerijus Valskis scored the winning goal in the final minutes to seal the game for the hosts at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Hyderabad FC head coach Phil Brown has expressed his disappointment with the result, which pushes them to the bottom spot of the table. “I don’t think both teams contributed to a great spectacle tonight. I don’t think it was John’s (Gregory) game plan, it certainly wasn’t our game plan. For the first 30 minutes, we couldn’t find the right passes. My players weren’t playing the kind of football I know they can play. We had good opportunities early. I always thought the first goal will be important, but I didn’t think for one minute that the game will end the way that it did,” Phil Brown said at the post-match press conference, ISL website reported.

Hyderabad FC could not hold the ball throughout the match and coach Brown reflected about the same. “The first pass after winning possession back is important. I thought for 30 minutes in the first half, we didn’t look as if we knew each other, let alone playing with each other. So, that is something we have to improve. The extra time produced the most exciting part (of the game). I thought we deserved something from the game. I was disappointed. No points from two games is something we need to address as soon as possible. The next game is now a big game for us.” the Englishman added.

The 60-year-old coach expressed his satisfaction with the performance of his defence, however, he has asked for more from his attackers who missed many chances at the attacking front. “I think our best players were Matthew and Gurtej (Singh). Chennaiyin have pace on the wings, and I have two centre-backs who were tested on the pace perspective. They stepped up to it. Consequently, they gave the wingbacks a chance to play more ahead,” Brown said.

“But I don’t want my centre-backs to be my best players. I want my attacking players to be the best players. No disrespect to any of my defenders. For 90 minutes we had a clean sheet. In 97 minutes, we were beaten 2-1. A little bit of mentality is needed to work with. The late defeats hurt me, and I told my players that if these defeats don’t hurt you then I don’t want them in my changing room.”

The coach went on to explain the areas where Hyderabad need to improve. “I think the team failed in the wide areas, with a lack of quality in the forward play. We need to get that quality resolved. The attackers need to get more possession. They need above 70% of the ball to have a good game but majority of our offensive players had less than 50% of the ball which is not good enough for me. I believe that when we play two midfield players, both Rohit (Kumar) and Marko (Stankovic) had a defensive understanding. I want that to be on the offensive side. I want them to be more creative,” Brown added.

The English coach then spoke highly of his Indian wingbacks Nikhil Poojary and Muhammed Yasir before asking more from them offensively, “I think I have two very willing Indian wingbacks who are learning the game on the job and that is key. They are going to have better careers. Nikhil Poojari just lost his international place and he will want that back. Mohammed Yasir has been playing out of position. He is learning on the job. They have the good pace but again it is the communication between them and centre-backs. Obviously, in the final third, I need them to produce as well.” he concluded