Chennai City FC appoints Jordi Gris as assistant coach

“At the moment, I have signed a one-year contract with the club. I have worked together with head coach Mohammad Akbar for Global Cebu FC in the Philippines. Even there, I was associated more with youth football. But, he was happy with my tactical analysis of opponents and we share a very good relationship,” said Jordi on the sidelines of a CFA Senior Division football match here. 

Asked about the standard of football in the country, the newly-appointed coach asserted, “I have been part of leagues in Kuwait and the Philippines. The technical level in Asia is not very bad. We must improve various facets like positioning and work rate.”

Commenting on the style of football he would wish to play with the side, the Spaniard said, “It is now my duty to look for the best players who will fit into our system. I prefer to attack a lot and be aggressive with the ball. Retrieving the ball from the opponents is also an important part in my game.” 

CCFC was handed a huge defeat by two-time ISL champion ATK in the qualifying round of the Super Cup. “I arrived here only a week back. I did watch CCFC play against ATK. In the first half, we competed well. Once we conceded the second goal, it became very difficult,” remarked Jordi about his side’s performance. “Akbar and Jordi have a good working relationship. We had a chat with and he took us through about his vision. We are aiming at finishing in the top-4 in the upcoming I-league season,” said CCFC owner Rohit Ramesh on the appointment of Jordi. 

Jordi also worked as a scout and analyst for Pep Guardiola-managed teams like Barcelona B and Manchester City. 

Speaking about it, he said, “I used to file reports about first division opponents during my stint there. After seeing my work, I was invited by Guardiola to work at Manchester City. But my life there was short lived due to certain reasons.” 

“I used to send week-to-week analysis for left-back Benjamin Mendy. I was also asked to look out for players who would fit in different positions like winger, centre-back, midfielder etc., The club was interested in appointing me as a scout for Girona FC, a Spanish outfit which was bought by the City group. They asked me to wait for a couple of months but I never got an offer,” he added.