ISL: FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC have left last season’s woes behind

Panaji: FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC have plenty of similarities. For a moment, forget the enmity between these two teams; forget that 2015 final drama and the fight that took Chennaiyin’s marquee player Elano Blumer to the police station at Fatorda.
Goa and Chennaiyin are the two most consistent teams in the Indian Super League; they have now made it to the semi-finals of three of the four editions held so far. Of course, defending champions ATK have won the league twice and made it to three semifinals in a row but that was largely due to their association with Atletico Madrid. Look what happened when Madrid opted out; ATK are in the pits.

Goa and Chennaiyin missed out on the playoffs just once. Last season, both had a season to forget. Goa finished at the bottom and Chennaiyin, if it’s any consolation, finished just above. So just how did two teams that finished at the bottom bounce back so well?

Let’s start with the coaches. Goa shortlisted 70 candidates for the job and, despite the presence of several heavyweights including Jose Morais, who worked under Jose Mourinho as a coach at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, opted for a young Lobera, who previously guided Barcelona.

Chennaiyin had a small shortlist but right from the day Amoy Ghoshal, chief technical officer at the club, met John Gregory at a hotel in London, nobody was left in any doubt that they had found the right person.

“John looked the best bet by a mile. He knew about the club, had worked with clubs who did not spend lavishly and understood that things won’t be the same in India,” said one official.

That Chennaiyin could convince Gregory to coach in India is an achievement. Gregory, after all, has coached two teams in the English Premier League. He took Aston Villa to their best position in the Premier League and also managed Derby County. He has tons of experience but unlike many coaches who land here expecting the moon, Gregory had his feet on the ground.

“He is like a whiff of fresh air,” said another official, probably referring to last season when manager Marco Materazzi was at the helm of affairs.

“The coach brought in a sports scientist (Niall Clark) who has improved the team’s fitness tremendously. If you notice, we are probably the fittest side with 11 different players scoring, an achievement no other team can match. The bonding within the team also remains unmatched,” said the official.

Only one team will now go through to the final but whoever loses out won’t have too much to complain about this season.