Elano to fire Chennaiyin ahead for the long haul

When Chennayin FC announced that Brazilian attacking midfielder Elano Blumer would be their marquee international player, there was a sense of subdued optimism amongst those who call the Marina Arena home. The Abhishek Bachchan owned franchise had initially been rumoured to have been in talks to sign Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, but the move failed to materialize with Elano heading down to the South of India instead.

Elano instantly made the right impression upon his arrival in India, labelling the ISL and Chennayin's project as similar to that of Manchester City - a comparison that Chennai fans will hold dear as City have then gone on to become two time champions in the Premier League.

It speaks volumes about the impact he had that he cemented his place in the ISL history books, topping the scoring charts and winning the inaugural ISL golden boot for his eight goals, despite his injury. It came as no surprise then, when Chennayin supporters were delighted to hear that he had been retained for the second season, reaching a loan agreement with Santos, whom he plays for in Brazil.

"I am thrilled to sign for Chennaiyin FC to play in the second season of the ISL," said the midfielder who has 50 caps for the Brazilian team.

His high passing accuracy and his calmness in possession often helped the team control the game. The Brazilian also displayed a remarkable tendency to find dangerous positions to score from, which meant that he is always a direct threat.

During his time with Manchester City and Brazil, Elano worked with Robinho as they looked to revive the club's fortunes with their flair in attack. It was his performances there that led to his call ups with the Brazil national team.

Elano will be ably assisted this season by local boys Balwant Singh and Jeje, as well as new signing Fikru from the title winning Kolkata side. Known to favour playing two strikers and keeping a tight core in midfield and defence, while the full backs bomb back and forth, Chennayin coach Materazzi should have ample opportunity to use Elano to his strengths.

All three of the aforementioned forwards are hard workers with the pace of Jeje troubling opponents often in the past. Balwant made history in his own right, becoming the first Indian player to score in the ISL, he has since garnered high praise from coach Materazzi who labelled him strong enough to play in the Italian Serie B.

The team also has a strong Brazilian core after the signings of Brazilian duo Raphael Augusto and Mailson Alves and the retention of youngster Bruno Pellisari. The latter is an exciting attacker in his own right who prefers to play from the right of midfield. While he did not get much playing time alongside Elano, Pellisari impressed in the latter stages of the ISL and during Elano's injury scoring 4 goals. With so many Brazilians in the squad, aided by the fact that this is his second season with the same club, expect Elano to grow into an influential figure in the dressing room.

With the competition high for the attacking spots in the team, expect whichever forwards are selected to play their opening game, to try hard to cement their spots. The fact that all of them are hard runners should afford the relatively less energetic Elano the space and time to fashion attacking moves.

The only fault that critics could find in his first season at the club would probably be the fact that he registered only a solitary assist. Between settling into a new team, and the atmosphere in India, one could probably excuse this away.

Expect Elano to make an assured start to his season and contribute with assists and goals. He should have fans at the Marina Arena chanting his name for one more season, only this time they are banking on him to propel them to the title.