Five talking points from Chennai’s frustrating stalemate with Kerala Blasters

Chennai played out a 0-0 stalemate with Kerala Blasters at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday evening, further lowering their chances of making the playoffs this season.

Chennai coach John Gregory said in the pre-match press conference he’s had to “change combinations to see what works best.” Against Kerala, he made five changes, as Sanjiban Ghosh, Laldinliana Renthlei, Thoi Singh, Isaac Vanmalsawma and Andrea Orlandi all replaced Karanjit Singh, Germanpreet Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Gregory Nelson and Francis Fernandes.

While the decision made Chennai more solid at the back, they failed to convert big chances. Kerala, too, did have their chances to put the game to rest but their strikers were just as clinical as Chennai’s.

In spite of the disappointing result, Chennai leapfrogged Pune City, the only team they’ve defeated this season, as they now sit eighth having claimed five points in nine outings. Kerala, meanwhile, remain seventh on eight points, with five draws in nine games.

Neither side had a good outing, with either side’s forwards squandering chances they would have converted on any other day. Anyway, here are five talking points from the game.

5. Chennai’s Jeje Lalpekhlua still has it

Jeje Lalpekhlua is a Chennai legend. Being one of the handful of players to be a one-club man in Indian Super League and having scored 15 goals in their two title-winning seasons, he’s definitely earned the fans’ respect. This season, however, his contribution has been paltry, as he still hasn’t found the net.

Against Kerala, though, Jeje looked confident, determined and ready to inspire his side to a win; he even set up a golden opportunity for Thoi Singh only for the makeshift winger to miss from close range. However, he received little support from the creative cast as they failed to create big chances in true Chennai fashion.

4. Kerala Blasters still have a chance

John Gregory said in the pre-match press conference Chennai could still get back into the top-four reckoning with three consecutive wins in December, but Kerala Blasters look likelier of the two to make it this time out.

They have drawn five games and have the fifth best defensive record in the league and are only two wins behind fourth-placed Jamshedpur. That said, they also have the fifth worst attack in the competition, scoring just 10 goals in nine games; only ATK, Mumbai City and the two bottom clubs have scored fewer goals.

Their making the playoffs looks a Herculean task now, but coach David James must be confident of pulling off a shock qualification having already done that in his first tenure at the club in 2014. However, he must figure out his best starting eleven as he has made several questionable changes, like dropping Sandesh Jhingan here in Chennai.

3. Chennai ought to reinforce their wings

Chennai do have good players on the roster. In fact, they’ve retained the core of the title-winning season, of course with the exception of skipper Henrique Sereno. They have a decent backline and solid central options in Andrea Orlandi, Raphael Augusto and Anirudh Thapa. Even Jeje Lalpekhlua isn’t a particularly bad striker.

It’s down the flanks where they have major problems. Francisco Fernandes, it seems, only works well with the Dhanapal Ganesh-Bikramjit Singh double pivot operating behind him. Gregory Nelson isn’t starting many games with John Gregory choosing to start three foreign players at the back.

Thoi Singh, a predominantly defensive player, has been an ineffective winger, whereas 22-year-old Isaac Vanmalsawma, despite early promise, has failed to make a serious impact. Chennai now need to invest in an actual winger or a proper striker come January, as they’ll prove an embarrassment not just in India but in Asia as well.

2. The fans still have the teams’ back

Chennai and Kerala Blasters have some of the best fans in the country.

The Manjappada have been vocal about the management or perhaps, mismanagement, with the fan club even putting out an open letter, questioning few of the decisions David James has made this season. Super Machans and B-Stand Blues, meanwhile, haven’t been critical of the manager or team although frustration and disappointment is quite evident among them.

On Thursday evening, however, the fans of either club put current form behind to turn up for the Southern Derby. Chennai drew well over 13,000 fans on a Thursday evening, when the club isn’t doing particularly well. Super Machans put out an amazing tifo, expressing their belief in the team. Plus, over 90,000 fans were streaming the match live on Hotstar, highlighting the support these teams are bestowed with.

However, the teams need much better results to ensure the fan clubs expand.

1. English managers are in trouble

David James has often stated he’s here to ensure Kerala Blasters’ long-term improvement. He must have had a convincing plan to convince the club to hand him a three-year contract. However, it hardly looks like his plan, if there’s any, is working. Kerala continues to hoof the ball up and is inept at set pieces, a department Indian clubs are expected to be good at. Plus, his team selection has also been questionable.

His Chennai counterpart, John Gregory, on the other hand, has hinted he still hasn’t figured out his best system yet. “I admit that I have made some poor choices in selecting the starting eleven some games,” he said in the pre-match press conference. Going by the result, he didn’t get it right on Thursday as well or, perhaps, he never signed the right players for his vision to work.

A testing period beckons for the English duo.