John Gregory: Chhangte and Thapa will both start against Hyderabad

The Englishman explained how his side have worked hard following their previous loss in the ISL.

Chennaiyin FC take on the newly-formed Hyderabad FC in their fifth game of the ISL season. The Marina Machans are without a win or a goal in the league so far this campaign. CFC head coach, John Gregory cut a forlorn figure in his last press conference, but appeared in front of the press to carry out his media responsibilities alongside Romanian defender, Lucian Goian. Following the defeat at Bengaluru, John Gregory admitted that it may be time for him to give up his spot as head coach of the club. However, the Englishman claimed to be optimistic about his side’s chances in the game on Monday. “Very optimistic. The way we lost that match in Bengaluru, I think hurt me more than anything. I think, I was extremely disappointed in the team’s performance.” [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] “Ultimately, at the end of the day, I am responsible for results. It is my responsibility to see that we get enough points on the board. It is my responsibility to see that we get into the playoffs.” “The two home games that we have had, against Mumbai and ATK, were both games where I thought our performance was very good. We dominated the game in terms of possession and passes, but we got only one point from the two games.” “I was somewhat shellshocked after the match (against Bengaluru FC) in the performance that we got. Since then, we have all picked each other up and gotten back to work.” Gregory and Chennaiyin FC were afforded the opportunity to recover from the humbling defeat to BFC over the international break. The Englishman spoke about the work that has been going on behind the scenes during this time. “As a professional, it is very difficult to recover from a defeat. It lingers for some time. But, we just have to get back to basics, really. Generally, just get back to hard work. No one has ever been given anything in football. You have to work for it exceptionally hard.” “We got back on the training ground. Carried on working hard and put in that little bit extra.” Lucian Goian found himself in a similar situation as the one in which Chennaiyin FC are, in his previous campaign with Mumbai City FC. The Romanian spoke about how crucial it was to believe that they could still make the playoffs. “We were in the same situation with Mumbai and our confidence was down and after that, we started winning. Back then, we had qualified for the semis and did a good performance.” “We have the quality and everything we need, but are just missing the goal. This is also a pressure on all of us. I’m sure that the first goal will increase our confidence and we will be back on track.” “We are confident that tomorrow, the luck is going to turn and we have to show a good attitude to get the three points for the fans and for everybody.” Anirudh Thapa and Lallianzuala Chhangte were called-up by Igor Stimac to the Indian national team, but were not afforded any minutes in either of the Blue Tigers' games. Gregory provided an update about his squad and a little insight into the possible formations he could use in the game tomorrow. “With regards to Chhangte and Thapa, the national team thought that they looked a little bit jaded. I’ve mentioned to you that these two have literally been playing nonstop football for two years.” “I try to look after them a little bit. Igor looks after them a little bit. I spoke to both of them during the week and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’m quite happy when I see that they are not playing in the national team.” “They will both be starting on Monday night against Hyderabad.” Finally, John Gregory was questioned about the availability of long-term absentee, Jeje Lalpekhlua. The Mizo striker is recovering from a knee injury. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] “Jeje is coming back, but it is almost like a week at a time. He comes back and makes good progress in a week. He’s still not ready for selection, but he certainly is in a better place than he was, even a month ago.” “He is training with the squad, but some training sessions he has to step out.” “I would like to think that during the month of December he is fit enough, at least for the bench," John Gregory concluded. The game will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday and will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 and Stars Sports 2 HD from 7:30 PM IST. It will also be streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.