John Gregory: I am happy with the performance against Mumbai City

The Englishman also stressed Lallianzuala Chhangte and Thoi Singh are the best domestic players in his side.

Following a hard fought stalemate against Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC boss John Gregory interacted with the press on Sunday night. Chennaiyin FC’s first home game of the season ended in a goalless draw as neither side managed to get off the mark in an evenly contested encounter.

Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory was asked about the team’s performance and he said, “I was frustrated that we weren’t 3-0 ahead, as we wasted many chances. We dominated the opening minutes of the game and failed to capitalize on such a solid start. This lead to the opposition gaining confidence and performing better than they were doing before."

"Mumbai City FC are known to drop back at the start of the game and attack on the counter. They did pretty well today, along with some great saves from Amrinder Singh. I was happy with the performance, regardless of the scoreline,” the Englishman added.

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When asked about his thoughts on the midfield he said, “The midfielders need to make sure they are always involved in the game. They didn’t manage to do so, but it’s a lesson to learn and something to implement in the team. It’s a new team and we’re getting to know each other well and will work towards performing better.”

Thoughts On Defence

The Englishman further added, ”We didn’t begin really well with the defence, but we managed to maintain a solid back four and performed really well in the second half, as we made some changes. We managed to keep a clean-sheet. I was happy with the way things ended.”

On Thoi Singh

John Gregory was asked about Thoi Singh’s performance when he answered, “Thoi started the previous game, but came off the bench in this game. He was clearly the best player on the pitch with respect to the fans and put on a great performance. He’s been really lively in the dressing room and has been an absolute motivation behind the scenes before the match started."

"His quality and temperament is great and he understands that he might not be starting in every game and this is the type of player every coach dreams to have in their side,” the 65-year-old added.

John Gregory further added that both Lallianzuala Chhangte and Thoi Singh are very instrumental to how the team performs and are the best domestic players in the side.

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Speaking on whether he has finally found his starting XI, John Gregory revealed, "We played a different formation at Goa and we have made quite a few changes with respect to formations and players that featured in the side. We keep looking for the best XI, many sides tend to do the same and I prefer to do it as well."

"We’ve got great competition in the side, with many players contributing with their best efforts and this is a very good sign. I’m happy with such situations. We’ve got great versatility in the squad, we manage to shuffle players during the game and bring out the best in them,” the Chennaiyin FC head coach concluded.