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Chennaiyin FC has been disappointing in the first two games and lost both to FC Goa and Bengaluru FC in the Hero Indian Super League so far. The Blues were expected bigger things following their Championship status last season.
The absence of Bikramjit Singh and Henrique Sereno is taking a toil already. Anirudh Thapa and Eli Sabia have taken up the role, but they should step up their gear to replace those men who were so crucial to Chennaiyin's success last season.
There we lots of positives when the Blues took up the field at Kanteerava Stadium on September 30th. Lack of cutting edge to find the back of the net proved too costly for the Marina Machans as they had to come away without gaining any points. Succeedingly, the defeat to Sergio Lobero's Goa was deserved, and even the coach John Gregory accepted that Chennaiyin were flat and didn't earn anything out of the game in the post-match press conference.
But, Chennaiyin FC have a lot of time to put things back on track as they eye for a place in the playoffs. Let's have a look at the big guns of Chennaiyin FC in the first two games of the season.
#3 Jeje Lalpekhlua
It is always going to be demanding to score goals as a striker under the management of John Gregory. Besides, he was able to find the back of the net nine times last season.
The Chennaiyin FC coach has built a side which is defensively astute to cut down the leakage of the goals. This will see the wingers Gregory Nelson and Francisco Fernandes getting overloaded with defensive duties to support the full-backs.
The 27-year-old had two straightforward chances against Bengaluru FC during the first game but failed to convert both which proved to be decisive in the result.
During the second game against FC Goa, Jeje didn't threaten the defenders and looked isolated for most parts of the game. His substitution paved way for the Argentine Carlos Salom, who produced the injection of pace which they lacked when Jeje was on the field.
In fairness, Jeje and Salom are different kinds of strikers. One likes to hold up the ball and another is fully dependent on the pace. Despite the poor start, John Gregory has immense trust on the Indian striker and is likely to retain his place.
#2 Raphael Augusto
Having signed for the Indian outfit in 2015, the midfielder was part of the team which has gone on to win the league title twice in three years.
Brazilian Raphael Augusto has played a crucial hand in the club's success which has brought him a huge reputation among the Chennaiyin FC faithful.
However, it has not gone according to the plan for the midfielder who looked lackluster in the early stages of the season.
He has a very good understanding with Gregory Nelson and Jeje Lalpekhlua, but the trio has not started to produce the expected output. He will be looking to improve as the season progresses.
The 27-year-old acts as an attacking midfielder to play behind the striker Jeje Lalpekhlua. The Brazilian is expertised in pressing the defenders high up the pitch and launch piledrivers from outside the box.
The defensive liability of Anirudh Thapa and Germanpreet Singh has been a major blow for the Blues which has left the defense exposed. But, Raphael Augusto is provided with a free role to roam around the pitch and win back the ball.
#1 Mailson Alves
With the absence of Henrique Sereno, the skipper Mailson Alves is expected to lead the defense from the front this season.
But, the Brazilian has been struggling to find his feet this campaign and has found it hard to cope up with the forwards who were giving him constant headaches. Make no mistake, but he has faced two best strikers in the league - Miku and Ferran Corominas.
Inigo Calderon and Eli Sabia haven't been up to the mark, whilst Jerry has been the only decent pick out from the back this season.
Midfielders have been bang average and never controlled the game against both the sides. The defense has been left exposed most of the time which has forced the defenders to do too much extra work at the back.
Mailson was at fault for the second goal against FC Goa when he was caught ball watching. In certain instances, he got away without getting punished due to poor positioning. Albeit, he will be looking to stabilize the defense and step up his own game in the upcoming matches.
