Rafael Crivellaro: Chennaiyin FC's midfield magician | ISL 2020-21

Towards the end of his successful tenure as Chennaiyin FC head coach, John Gregory will mostly be remembered for bringing in Rafael Crivellaro to the club. Of course, he did lead the club to the Indian Super League Championship and a few high-placed finishes on the table, but the signing of the Brazilian is something that has left an enduring mark on the club.

The start of the 2019/20 season was a difficult one for Gregory and Chennaiyin FC alike. The team lost three of its first four games with its first win coming least convincingly against Hyderabad FC. Both Indian and overseas talents were in the squad, and it was up to former England international John Gregory to bring them all together.

That season, Chennaiyin FC failed to give a good account of themselves and Gregory's job remained in jeopardy until the fixture against Jamshedpur FC. Nerijus Valskis and Rafael Crivellaro had started together in the 3-0 defeat against Bengaluru FC, but it was the game against Jamshedpur where Gregory got the most out of the Valskis-Crivellaro combination.

Nerijus Valskis, who would later go on to claim the Golden Boot for the season with 15 goals to his name, fired Chennaiyin FC into the lead in the 26th minute. The goal came from a wonderfully-threaded pass just outside the box from Crivellaro. It was the Brazilian's first assist of the season. And it certainly was not his last.

The foundation had been laid as Gregory managed to find success in his very next match against Kerala Blasters. A 3-1 win, with Crivellaro proving to be the man pulling the strings in the midfield, ensured that Gregory would keep his job, until the draw against Odisha FC.

The fateful game against FC Goa would become something of a red-letter day for Chennaiyin FC. After going down 3-0 in the first half following goals from Ahmed Jahouh, Hugo Boumous and Brandon Fernandes, Owen Coyle rallied his team in the second half. A comeback was on the cards. Chennaiyin FC would go on to lose the game 3-4 in a wild finish. This was a sign of things to come.

The 2019/20 season of the ISL would come to a close with Chennaiyin FC missing out on the ISL title having made it to yet another final. Nerijus Valskis ended the season with 15 goals and the Golden Boot with Rafael Crivellaro having 8 assists to his name. Owen Coyle finished the season with 8 wins from the 15 matches that he was in charge of. Considering where the club was at the start of the season, these records are simply phenomenal.

Rafael Crivellaro - The Chennaiyin FC X-Factor against Jamshedpur FC

Following the heartbreak of the previous season, Chennaiyin FC opted for a 'value for money' approach to the 2020-21 season. Csaba Laszlo, a Hungarian coach with a fairly decent reputation, replaced Owen Coyle as the latter was signed by Jamshedpur FC.

While the retention of Nerijus Valskis was widely expected among both fans and pundits, Laszlo retained the Brazilian duo of Eli Sabia and Rafael Crivellaro. In the pre-season, Chennaiyin FC seemed to be a side in transition with very low expectations to even remotely challenge for the ISL title as they had done in the previous season.

Isma - who claimed the assist for the Anirudh Thapa goal

Csaba Laszlo's first game in charge of Chennaiyin FC came against Jamshedpur FC. For Owen Coyle, who had previously managed the Chennai-based club, there was a point to prove. However, even before the Scot could take his place in the Jamshedpur FC dugout, Anirudh Thapa had already managed to find the back of the net.

The goal was a thing of beauty and a brilliant piece of tactical genius. While it was Isma Goncalves who was credited with the assist, Rafael Crivellaro managed to find spaces in between the Jamshedpur FC midfield and defense, and play the ball to Isma on the right wing.

The first half was all about one man - Rafael Crivellaro. He was the orchestrator in the midfield while also tracking back in to help out defensively. As the season rages on, the 31-year-old Brazilian will be indispensable for Csaba Laszlo.

Is Crivellaro's role similar to that of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes?

Having said that, Crivellaro's importance for Chennaiyin FC can be compared to that of Bruno Fernandes for Premier League club Manchester United. Such is the importance of the Portuguese international that he has had a part to play in nearly every goal scored by the Red Devils this season.

The same goes for B Rafael Crivellaro, who is currently considered a magician in the midfield. Needless to say, the Brazilian will have an important part to play as Csaba Laszlo looks for a memorable outing in his first season as the coach of Chennaiyin FC.