John Gregory: It’s extremely frustrating, can’t fault the players’ attitude

The Englishman was extremely disappointed with the result as his side succumbed to a loss against the Kolkata-based outfit.

Former champions Chennaiyin FC and ATK played out a tight game of rather tactical football. The home side lost 0-1 to the men from Kolkata on the night and their head coach John Gregory has been left ruing all the missed chances. Despite his team’s strong start to the match, the Chennai players weren’t able to capitalize on any of the positive positions they got into.

The winner was scored in the second half by Australian star David Williams and although, Chennaiyin piled on the pressure in the latter stages of the game, the ATK defence held strong and kept the opposition at bay. After the fixture, Chennaiyin FC head coach John Gregory addressed the media regarding the outcome of their third ISL encounter of the season.

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On The Eventual Outcome Of The Game

“It’s very frustrating for me to sit here, to talk about a game that we’ve totally dominated, literally from start to finish. Just like the Mumbai game, we pushed them into their own box and they very rarely got out of it. We created a lot of chances to win the game, but we sit here tonight with just one point from two home matches and it should’ve been six.”

He went on to add, “I can’t fault the players in their attitude and performance. Every single one of them gave everything, right until the final whistle. The ATK players were also using every possible second lying on the floor (in an attempt to waste time) and it was quite surprising that the referee actually fell for it. He was conned really."

"We had the ball for about 30 minutes in the second half and ATK spent the other 15 lying on the floor. There should’ve been 10 minutes of stoppage time."

About His Players' Performance On The Night

About the display itself, the Englishman said, “We have ourselves to blame in many aspects really. But, performance-wise, it was excellent. It’s a new team, they’ve gelled really quickly and there were lots of really stellar performances from individuals. For me, if we keep playing in this manner, the results will come.”

On Preparations For The Next Game

Further, the Englishman was asked how he would go about preparing for their next game, especially considering the rather fragile position they find themselves in to which he responded, “I’d have to analyze the game, but we’ve been getting into good positions in the box and the final ball hasn’t been good enough. Despite the good approach work, there are some bad decisions being made at the end of the pitch.”

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“I could’ve made a couple of changes towards the end, but I thought the boys were in such good control of the match. Despite this, the goal didn’t come and that was very frustrating. We have to get back to work because it’s been a tough seven days for us. Three games in seven days; I think ATK had ten days - those extra few days can make a lot of difference," added John Gregory.

On Lallianzuala Chhangte

The head coach was then asked about the performance of their star winger and arguably their best player on the night, Lallianzuala Chhangte. He said, “He works extremely hard but sometimes, his final decision-making needs to be better. But you know, if he had those certain attributes, he’d be in Norway now, wouldn’t he? So, now, we have to work with him and improve him. He covers a lot of distance over the ninety minutes and there’s no questioning the amount of talent he possesses."