ISL 2019-20 | It’s going to be exciting, predicts Chennaiyin boss John Gregory
Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory has admitted he is expecting the match against ATK to be an exciting one after a troubling start to their ISL campaign with a loss and a goalless draw their first two matches. Newly signed goalkeeper Vishal Kaith also spoke about his life at the new club.
Two two-time former champions Chennaiyin FC and ATK will battle it out at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. However, their starts to the campaign has been different with Chennaiyin FC still looking for their first and ATK looking to continue their momentum after beating after Hyderabad FC 5-0 in Kolkata.
However, the Chennaiyin head coach has predicted an exciting game all the while stating that he would be wary of the goal-scoring threat of former Australian A-league duos David Williams and Roy Krishna.
“It’s going to be exciting. I was delighted that we kept a clean sheet in our last match. The back four did well and we restricted Mumbai to just a couple of chances. It is always good when you come off the field not having conceded a goal and we hope to continue that into the season,” said John Gregory at the pre-match press conference, reported ISL website.
“That being said, ATK had an amazing victory the other night (against Hyderabad FC). Almost every opportunity they had, they scored. With Roy Krishna and David Williams upfront, with these two in particular, we know that they will be very difficult to keep quiet. We need to be switched on early because ATK have a habit of starting games really well. They did it against Kerala and then again Hyderabad,” he added.
After Gregory's take over in Chennai FC from Marco Materazzi, they won their second title in his very first season but had a disastrous campaign last season. Chennaiyin FC could not score in their last 5 ISL games, and the English coach hasn’t hidden his concerned about the same.
“We did everything but score the other night (against Mumbai City FC). We had a lot of chances and had lots of shots on goal. We certainly had lots of opportunities. I was somewhat bewildered that we didn’t score in the first 15 minutes, when we created a lot of chances. Their keeper made one outstanding save. Generally, we were pleased with that side of the game. Even Nerijus Valskis had a few chances to score in the dying minutes. I’m not too disappointed considering we were creating chances, compared to periods of last season when we were not creating enough.” said Gregory.
Though history has reflected a clash between these two former champions to be often high-scoring, Gregory has stated that he will be happy even with a 1-0 win.
“I will be happy as long as we win. Certainly, we will always enjoy it if we don’t concede a goal. I will be happy with a 1-0 win. We are not a side who have that many high-scoring matches, even back in the title-winning 2017-18 season. I definitely want the match to be enjoyable. But as long as we score one more than the opposition and win the match, I really don’t care what the scoreline is.” said Gregory.
Goalkeeper Vishal Kaith also attended the briefing with coach, who got him from the defunct Pune City FC this summer. He shared his thoughts oh his new club and his former coach at Pune Antonio Habas, who is with ATK now.
“At FC Pune City, the atmosphere was different. It is very different here. I feel very good. The fans are great, and I am very happy with the atmosphere in the dressing room. I have a lot of respect for Antonio Lopez Habas and I enjoyed my time playing under him. But now my focus is Chennaiyin and getting a positive result,” said Vishal.
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