Chennaiyin FC Vs Chennai City: How the tables have turned this season

In a complete turnaround from last campaign, the two teams found themselves at opposite ends of the table in their respective leagues.

With the Indian footballing season drawing to a close, we at Khel Now look back at what has been a tale of two clubs from the south of India, whose roles have been reversed this season. Chennaiyin FC ended the 2017/2018 ISL campaign as the runaway winners with John Gregory earning plaudits from the highest of sources.

On the other hand, at the end of the last I-League term, Chennai City FC sat at eighth place in the table, with just four wins in eight games. Here is where it all changed for the sides from Tamil Nadu. While Chennaiyin opted to rest on their plaudits and were naïve to the ever-evolving nature of the ISL, Chennai City were proactive in the transfer market, bringing in key players to plug the obvious gaps in their squad.

In the 2017-2018 season, Chennai City scored just 15 goals in 18 games while conceding 29. In contrast, this camoaign they have a mammoth 48 goals in just 20 games and have conceded 28. This massive influx of goals is primarily down to the recruitment of the Spanish trio of Pedro Manzi, Sandro Rodriguez and Nestor Gordillo.

The Coimbatore-based side won their first I-League title

Between the three of them, they have notched up over 31 goals and 16 assists for the South Indian outfit. The Chennai head coach, Akbar Nawas was quick to identify the weak points in his side, following his appointment to replace V Soundarajan in March of 2018.

As a result of this, Chennai City FC have sealed the I-League title beating Minerva Punjab in their last fixture. This is no mean feat for a club who, not so long ago were languishing in eighth position in the table. 

On the flip side, Chennaiyin FC finished the 2017-18 ISL term, playing some of the best football that the league has seen. They were solid at the back, with Henrique Sereno, Mailson Alves and Inigo Calderon forming one of the league’s meanest defences. Raphael Augusto and Dhanpal Ganesh played Jeckyll and Hyde in the midfield and Jeje Lalpekhlua wreaked havoc upfront.

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However, the summer saw club captain, Sereno leave and Ganesh ruled out through a long-term injury. But, Gregory refused to address the issue and publicly stated that the loss of two of his biggest stars would not alter his side’s style of play.

This was a highly naïve stance to take considering that the ISL is infamous for the downfall of its incumbent champions. The purchases of Eli Sabia and Carlos Salom did little to plug the gaps in the side that ended the season at the bottom of the pile.

The defending ISL champions had a season to forget

One of the criticisms levelled at Chennaiyin last campaign was their over-dependence on Jeje for goals. The Mizo striker ended the 2018/2019 term with just one goal and was not helped in his exploits by the Palestinian signing Carlos Salom.

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With the Super Cup coming up, the board at Chennaiyin will have already begun planning for next season, including the search for Gregory's successor.

The 2018/2019 footballing season has been a tale of two clubs from the same city. While Chennai City have scripted history, Chennaiyin will hope to put this campaign behind them as quickly as they possibly can and move into the next with renewed vigour.