Chennaiyin FC out to drain Delhi Dynamos charge

The match would also see former Italian World Cup winning team-mates Marco Materazzi and Gianluca Zambrotta in the opposite dug-outs. Chennaiyin are at the back of a stalemate against power-house Atletico de Kolkata in their first match while Delhi Dynamos would be keen to open their account in the season on a high.

The two teams have swapped some players in the draft this year. Chennaiyin have two players in John Arne Riise and Hans Mulder who played for the Delhi Dynamos last year and Bruno Pellisari moved from Chennaiyin to the Delhi camp for the season. 

Chennaiyin FC coach dismissed talks of pressure for the home team and said it would be business as usual once they get onto the pitch. “I think we have to divide between pressure and obsession. We don’t have any pressure to win or obsession to become champions because we won the tournament last year. It’s a pleasure to defend the title and we will do that until the last match. I am not putting any pressure on the players,” Materazzi said. 

Chennaiyin FC had to settle for a point against ATK after conceding a late penalty, a bane for the team that has the least discipline record. Talking about the penalty against ATK, Materazzi said it was due to Jerry Lalrinzuala’s inexperience at the highest level that allowed them to come back into the game. “I have to agree with the referee that it was actually a penalty and it happened due to inexperience. When you are 18 (years old), you tend to make these mistakes; if not only 30 years or older players can play. You have to learn from these mistakes and be cautious in the penalty area,” the manager added. 

Welcoming his former team-mate Zambrotta in the league, Materazzi said there would be no friends on the pitch. “I know him as a player and not as a coach. I am happy to see him here in India because this is a great chance for him to grow as manager and I wish the best for him,” he added. 

The visitors also have a strong defensive structure like the hosts but Zambrotta stressed on the fact that it was from Thursday that they would know how they have prepared themselves for the challenge. “I am very happy with the pre-season, but the championship starts on Thursday for us. We will see if we have done a good job. We hope to do a good job,” the Italian said. 

Zambrotta said he has been drafted into the league to instil the winning mentality in the team. “For me, it’s important that the team remains compact when we attack as well as when we defend but more importantly it’s important to have the winning mentality. I have come here to win something,” he added.

Materazzi later added that except for Dhanachandra Singh the team has no injury concerns for the game. The game would also see Tamil Nadu players Nallappan Mohanraj and Dhanapal Ganesh take the field for the hosts in their hometown.