ISL: Chennaiyin to shoot a crivell ‘ARROW’

The two-time ISL victor has now rewarded attacking midfielder Crivellaro – who put on ten out of ten performances on numerous occasions in ISL 2019-20 – with captaincy for the ongoing edition.

 Having been given ownership of the armband, the 31-year-old is eager to perform Samba Magic in Goa – the host city – and propel his club to the ISL Finals.

“I am very happy and honoured to be the captain of Chennaiyin. It is a pleasure to lead the guys. My target is to take the team to the top-four. I will push my teammates and I think that we can have another great season,” Crivellaro, contributor of seven goals and eight assists during CFC’s march to the ISL Season 6 final, told reporters in a virtual presser. “My style and the way I play football won’t change. The most important thing is to help my boys. I need to create good assists for the strikers as well as score goals,” he added.

In the previous edition, Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis were partners in crime, making merry in front of goal. But, the combination no longer exists as Lithuanian centre-forward Valskis has made a switch to fellow ISL outfit Jamshedpur FC (JFC).

Asked how challenging it will be to strike a good rapport with the new arrivals, he said: “Last season was fantastic for everyone. We had a great attack. Not only Valskis and I but also Lallianzuala Chhangte and Andre Schembri scored goals. But, football is like that. Now, Valskis is in a different team. However, the new players at CFC are very good. My goal is to do better than ISL 2019-20.”

Crivellaro also had words of praise for ‘Mizo Flash’ Chhangte and midfield enforcer Anirudh Thapa, but urged the sprightly duo to scale greater heights in the coming years. “Since last year, I have been 

speaking about it. Chhangte and Thapa are the best in India. They will be the future of the national team for sure. I love the way they play. But, they have a long way to go,” he opined.