Cannot make everybody happy; results matter: Materazzi

Chennaiyin FC head coach Marco Materazzi’s threat to not return to the ISL next season if they didn’t show their passion for the club had the desired effect as the home team trounced FC Goa 2-0 on Thursday.  

After the win, a relieved Materazzi said he was happy with the way the team played as a unit. “After we lost to Delhi Dynamos, I said it was my fault. Against Goa today, we were fighting every ball like it was the last. What I told my team was that if we put the will and hunger to score, we will win. Otherwise, we will end up at the bottom of the table. So, we came with a different mentality into the game,” said Materazzi.

The coach’s tactical change saw captain Bernard Mendy, forward Jeje Lalpekhlua, defender Nallappan Mohanraj and forward Dudu sit this game out. On putting the in-form Jeje on the bench, Materazzi said, “When someone is left out, I am always sad. I know what it feels like since I was a player too. Everyone wants to play all the games. But I cannot make everybody happy. What matters is that we won today.”

The Chennaiyin FC team, for the first time in the history of ISL, had an Indian captain, as Kashmiri defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo led the team to victory. Materazzi pointed out that this was a proud moment for Indian football. “Apart from the captain, you should also be proud of finishing the game with seven Indians in the fray” added the coach.

Jerry Lalrinzuala, the 18-year-old defender from Mizoram, had a promising game, putting up a spirited fight. Praising the Indian footballer, Materazzi said, “Jerry is very good, works hard and fights well. He deserved the spot. But regardless of height or nationality, whoever deserves to play, will play. If he keeps to win like this, he will play again.” 

The coach is happy that the team has a week to recover and prep for the next match against North East FC on October 20.

Materazzi has his sights firmly on making it to the playoffs. “It won’t be easy but the level of the league has been raised. Goa is a good team. This loss doesn’t mean that they’re out. Our focus now is to get to the playoffs. From that moment, it is zero again as each match will be a new beginning,” he said.

Zico, the coach for FC Goa, was disappointed at the third loss his team suffered in three games. He said the game with Chennaiyin FC offered few opportunities for both the teams. “Chennai had a few opportunities – they shot three times and scored twice. We were going through a tough situation and nothing was going right for us. We will work hard and change that,” said Zico.

On midfielder Mandar Rao Dessai’s absence from the squad, Zico said it was a tactical decision. “I am the coach of the team. I have the right to choose whoever I want. He was not injured but was on the bench,” he said

FC Goa’s defense weakened further as captain Lucio was replaced for the second half. “Lucio sustained a niggle during the game against FC Pune. He felt the situation aggravate during the first half and couldn’t continue with the rest of the game,” said Zico.

With players like Luis Barreto and Leo Moura missing from the squad this season, Zico said the team had to make the best of what they had. “Due to the problem last season, we lost many key players. We wanted to retain Moura and a few Indian players but that didn’t happen. But we are only three games into the tournament, nothing has been lost yet. We can work hard and make it to the playoffs,” he concluded.