Chennai City FC’s I-League triumph wasn’t an underdog story but that of meticulous planning and proper implementation

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Many might call it unthinkable but Chennai City FC players and their supporters saw it coming
Many might call it unthinkable but Chennai City FC players and their supporters saw it coming

8th March 2018. Chennai City FC players gather themselves to watch Churchill Brothers take on Minerva Punjab in the final round of the I-League. If the Goan outfit wins the match, they would be relegated and spend the next season in the I-League Second Division. 

8th March 2019. Chennai City FC players warm themselves up for the last time to take on the defending champions Minerva Punjab. If they win this match, they would clinch the I-League title and participate in the AFC Champions League Qualifiers the next season.

Many might call it unthinkable but Chennai City FC players and their supporters saw it coming
Many might call it unthinkable but Chennai City FC players and their supporters saw it coming.

In 2018, Chennai City FC players’ prayers were answered as Minerva Punjab pipped Churchill Brothers to win the I-League. And, a day later in 2019, they beat the same Minerva Punjab team to clinch the I-League trophy.

So, what transpired in a year that Chennai City FC went from being marginally relegated to becoming the I-League title favorites? Well, the answer is meticulous planning and its proper implementation.

Chennai City FC owner Rohit Ramesh had already made Akbar Nawas the head coach of the team for the next season, and the Singaporean flew all the way from his native country to have a look at his side he was going to manage a few days later. Despite knowing that the I-League will begin six months later, he wanted to begin work then and then. And, that was where Chennai City FC had won the I-League.

Akbar Nawas and his assistant coach Jordi Villa wanted to implement the Spanish style of football- hold the ball, draw your opponents, pass it around, and score goals. But, for that, they needed proper Indian players and foreigners who could adapt to it.

Most of the clubs in India rely on long balls and finding players, let alone a set of one, was always going to be a tough one. Instead of meandering across the entire country, the duo restricted themselves to the state of Tamil Nadu to scout local players who participated in the CFA Senior Division. The entire Indian contingent was made up of those CFA Senior Divison players and, most of them would make their I-League debut.

Akbar Nawas and Jordi Villa also knew the influence of foreign players in the team. They were the role models and the leaders, the Indian players looked onto. And, for that, they went all the way down to Spain. Nestor Gordillo, Nauzet Santana, and Roberto Eslava, who played in the Third Division, Sandro Rodriguez and Pedro Manzi, who played in the Fourth Division and Joseph Kaplan, who played in the Slovakian Second Division were chosen.

In the opening fixture, they thrashed Indian Arrows 4-1 and held Churchill Brothers in the subsequent match 2-2. In the previous season, Indian Arrows finished 10th and Churchill Brothers ninth. Nothing unusual was observed until they won the next four consecutive matches by defeating giant killers Gokulam FC, favorites East Bengal, former champions Aizawl, and last year’s runners-up NEROCA.

What is more riveting is the manner in which they won those match. The scoreline might suggest that the oppositions were eked as the goal difference was the slightest of the margin. However, if it weren’t for the profligacy of the strikers and poor refereeing decisions, the scoreline would have suggested they obliterated them black and blue, which was the case.

As the 2018-19 season of I-League got over, Chennai City FC lost only thrice and shared the spoils four times in their title-winning campaign. But, head coach Akbar Nawas is not done with his side.

He has already set his vision on the next season and called for a unified 20-team league, unfazed of the challenge the big money ISL clubs would provide. Gaurav Bora is the only Chennai City FC player in the preliminary squad for the India U-23 team. One more task which he wants to achieve is to ensure more players from his side become a part of the national team setup!