What is going wrong for struggling Chennaiyin?

CHENNAI: After making a positive start to Indian Super League 2022-23, collecting seven points from its first four matches, Chennaiyin FC had its fans buzzing with excitement.

Under German head coach Thomas Brdaric, who was a breath of fresh air, Chennaiyin showed early promise in October and the beginning of November last year. But, since then, CFC’s ISL campaign has been on a downward trajectory, with the team unable to land killer blows and convert performances into results.

Having picked up just 10 points from its last 11 games – seven of them coming against strugglers Jamshedpur FC (four) and NorthEast United FC (three) – Chennaiyin is hanging by a thread in the exciting play-off race.

With its ISL season appearing to be fizzling out, CFC, languishing eighth in the standings with 17 points off 15 matches, has little time left to make a late surge that would keep it relevant for the rest of the first round. Why does Chennaiyin find itself in the worrying position it is in right now?

Defence in tatters

It is not for nothing that many football coaches and pundits stress “offence wins games, defence wins championships”.

The Chennaiyin backline has been porous and has shipped in an alarming 29 goals so far, the fourth-worst tally this ISL, despite Brdaric preferring an all-overseas central defensive pairing of Fallou Diagne and Vafa Hakhamaneshi in most matches. CFC has used three goalkeepers – Debjit Majumder, Devansh Dabas and Samik Mitra – but none of them have stood like a rock between the sticks (the side has only two clean sheets).

Dip in form at the wrong time

December 10, 2022, will be etched in the memory of the Chennaiyin supporters as the ‘Marina Machans’ put seven past the bottom-placed NorthEast United FC in a goal fest in Guwahati.

But, the fans have had nothing of note to remember in the last one-and-a-half months, when the club’s games have proved to be a tough watch. While some of its fellow play-off aspirants are picking up speed at the right time, CFC is on a six-match winless streak which has put the two-time ISL champion on the back row in the qualification race.

What will frustrate Brdaric is the fact that the team lacked the X factor in games where it was superior to its opponents. Also, goals have dried up since the demolition job of NorthEast, with Chennaiyin scoring only six from as many matches recently.

Captain Thapa off colour

Skipper and midfielder Anirudh Thapa has looked a shadow of the player he was at the Durand Cup 2022, a tournament he set alight with two goals and three assists.

Eleven matches into his ISL season, Thapa is yet to get off the mark. While the 25-year-old has combined well with fellow midfielders Julius Duker and Jiteshwor Singh, he has hardly made meaningful contributions in the final third of the pitch, even while operating as a No.10 in the German manager’s system.

Injuries to key players

CFC has been hampered by injuries throughout the season, with Brdaric never having the luxury of a fully-fit squad to pick his starting eleven. Injuries to attacking midfielder Nasser El Khayati and forward Kwame Karikari hurt the most as the 48-yearold coach struggled to influence matches off the bench.

Now or never time

Unless the southern side gets its act together soon and shows remarkable improvement, it will not have even an iota of chance of progressing to the play-offs.