The 2017-18 edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) has been a topsy-turvy affair with new teams rising to the top of the points table almost every game week. Though debutants Bengaluru FC have been at the helm most of the time, the likes of Chennaiyin FC, FC Goa and FC Pune City have stayed close on their heels and have made the most of any slip-ups by the Albert Roca-coached side to pull them down.

While the Gaurs and the Stallions have been riding on their attacking firepower in Ferran Corominas and Emiliano Alfaro respectively, it’s Chennaiyin’s team effort and their habit of churning out results in crunch situations that has helped them be among the leading pack.

The 2015 Hero ISL champions have had a steady outing so far. With seven wins, two draws and three defeats in their 12 games, head coach John Gregory’s side is placed second in the league, a point adrift of their southern neighbours Bengaluru.

Never-say-die attitude

Much of this success should be attributed to their never-say-die attitude. Though records would show Chennai getting off to a terrible start this season with a loss to Goa in their opener at home, a closer look at that November 19 game would tell a different story.

In front of a vociferous crowd the Chennai unit had barely settled in – before Corominas, Manuel Lanzarote and Mandar Rao Dessai pumped in a goal apiece to give the visitors a handsome 3-0 lead at the break. Though most of the teams would have shut shop and let their opponents take charge from there on, Chennaiyin went on to display some quality football and pulled two goals back before bowing out with a 2-3 margin. Their grit and determination might not have fetched the desired result against Goa, but it surely planted the seeds of certain resolve that’s usually seen in champion sides. And from there on, it was no surprise that Chennaiyin went on a three-match winning streak to stake their claim as title contenders this season.

Team effort

Another major factor that has powered Chennaiyin this season is the versatility that the side flourishes on. While their ‘Mizo Sniper’ Jeje Lalpekhlua has been in top form and has led the attack from the front, Chennai never seemed to have relied on the 27-year-old’s exploits for goals alone. Others like Dhanpal Ganesh, Raphael Augusto, Rene Mihelic, Gregory Nelson and Anirudh Thapa have chipped in with crucial goals for the side.

Lalpekhlua leads their goals tally having scored seven out of his team’s 19 goals and is also the second highest scoring Indian in the league, behind only his national team strike partner Sunil Chhetri. Interestingly, he is also one out of 10 Chennaiyin players who has ruffled the net in the league so far — a record for the season.

And with the team doctors doing their bit to keep the squad fit even with a schedule as packed as it is in the Hero ISL, the former champions will be eyeing the top spot in the league phase, a feat they had achieved in the inaugural season.

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