AIFF Super Cup | Fit squad has always helped me, says John Gregory

04/07/2019

Ahead of their quarter-final game against NorthEast United FC, Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory has said that having a fit squad has always been a benefit for him. On the other hand, NEUFC coach Eelco Schattorie stressed on the importance of being sharp on the field in knock-out matches.

It will be a battle of the former ISL champions and this year’s semi-finalists of the league in the last quart-final fixture of the ongoing Super Cup in Bhubaneswar. After a terrible show in the ISL season 5 which concluded last month, Chennaiyin is playing AFC Cup matches and has been travelling different places. CFC coach Gregory spoke about the same in the pre-match conference at the Kalinga Stadium before their crucial match against NorthEast.

"We have obviously been travelling. We have had one day to recover from the AFC Cup game. But our focus is now the game against NorthEast. The boys are ready and all of them are raring to go," said Gregory, reported Super Cup media team.

"I’ve got a fit squad which has always been a benefit for me. I've got everybody to choose from. We’ve got no real injury doubts. It's brilliant to have Dhanpal Ganesh back after missing the Hero ISL season. To have him back at such a crucial time is a real pleasure.”

Chennaiyin FC had finished at the bottom of the points table in the ISL and would be aiming to do well in the Super Cup by making it to the last stages of the tournament. They earlier had defeated another ISL semi-finalist team Mumbai City FC in the round of six and would want to continue with the winning momentum today as well.

"We had a poor Hero ISL season and NorthEast had a fantastic season. First time ever they qualified for the semis. The coach and his players should get a lot of credit for having such a great season. But we now move to the Hero Super Cup. We are confident after having beaten Mumbai City FC in the previous round but they are the favourites," the CFC coach explained.

"Goalscoring has been an issue all season. Look at the top four, the boys who qualified for the Hero ISL semi-finals have all got an outstanding goal scorer in their team. This was one area we didn’t do well in. Jeje (Lalpekhlua) has scored two in his last two appearances. CK Vineeth scored a couple of goals since he’s been with us. They need a bit of time playing together as a partnership."

Meanwhile, the Guwahati-based franchise, who were defeated by Bengaluru FC and denied a place in the ISL finals, were handed over a walk over as NEROCA FC didn’t turn up for the round of 16 clash. They had beaten CFC in both the league matches of the last ISL and coach Schattorie believes that the team from Chennai will be motivated to win today’s game against them.

"We faced Chennaiyin two times in the league and won two times. One was a comeback after being 3-1 behind. The second match at home, we won convincingly. So, we have to be careful because they will be more motivated. A cup game is all or nothing. So, we need to be very sharp," Schattorie said.

"The preparation for this match didn’t go smoothly. At this moment, I have in total 15 players plus two goalkeepers. From those, one is suspended, and one can only play 15-20 mins. That means I have in total of 13 players. That is a very small group. That is not an excuse, but it is relevant. We will go all out. We will go for the win.”

AIFF Super Cup | Fit squad has always helped me, says John Gregory

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