Nicola Anelka set to make debut in ISL for Mumbai City FC
Chennaiyin will be hoping that their vociferous fans will help forget the 4-1 defeat inflicted by Delhi two days ago
Chennai: Chennaiyin FC and Mumbai City FC are in the same boat ahead of their Indian Super League match here on Tuesday. Both received a pasting in their previous match and are desperate to get back to winning ways.Chennaiyin will be hoping that their vociferous fans will help forget the 4-1 defeat inflicted by Delhi two days ago. Mumbai went down to NorthEast United 0-2 after having demolished Pune 5-0 in their previous fixtures. The visitors will welcome Nicolas Anelka to the squad after the Frenchman served out a three-match Fifa ban for a controversial gesture.
Chennaiyin enjoyed a dream start in the big-bang league by beating Zico’s Goa and David James’ Kerala Blasters by identical 2-1 margins. Delhi Dynamos ended the honeymoon by administering the bitter pill of defeat to Marco Materazzi and Co. Chennaiyin’s much-vaunted defence crumbled, conceding four goals. The Dynamos opened the floodgates with a fine goal in the first minute itself.There were gaping holes in Chennaiyin’s defence in Delhi.
Materazzi will be racking his brain on whether to stick with 5-3-2, the formation he has been adopting at the start of all matches, or to go for 4-4-2. Having a five-man back line can cause confusion in marking because the two full-backs will invariably be tempted to think that they are obliged to attack all the time, leaving defensive duties to the men in the middle.
Chennaiyin missed the dynamism of the injured right-back Abhishek Das against Delhi. French central defenders Mikael Silvestre and Bernard Mendy have enough experience to learn from the chastening Dynamos result. One can expect Materazzi, who enjoyed a highly rewarding career with Inter and Italy as a central defender, to come up with solutions to plug the leakage at the back.
One of the rare positives for Chennaiyin in the Delhi drubbing was the superlative goal Elano struck from a 25-yard free kick. The Brazilian, whose dribbling is a delight to watch, has three goals from as many matches and he will surely get better as the league progresses.Mumbai, too, have a job on their hands to recreate the magic displayed in drubbing Pune by the biggest margin in the ISL. Andre Moritze, who scored a hat-trick in Maharashtra derby, wasn’t fully fit for the United match following a fall. Mumbai need the Brazilian in top shape to lead their line, as marquee player Freddie Ljungberg is reportedly out of the whole tournament with a hamstring problem.
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