One half of Chennaiyin FC’s centre-back partnership, Manuele Blasi has been a rock for the Super Machans in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League. The veteran defender averages five tackles per match this season and boasts a passing accuracy of 92% which bears testimony to his excellent ball retention skills. The 35-year-old spoke to indiansuperleague.com ahead of the game against Kerala Blasters FC on Saturday and shared his thoughts on the Hero ISL. Here are the excerpts from the interview.How hard was it for you to be convinced by Marco Materazzi to join Chennaiyin FC?It was not hard for me at all, especially since it was Marco. I trust Marco and since it was Marco I just went ahead."I got more than what I expected from this league already."Manuele BlasiHave you got what you expected from the ISL?I got more than what I expected from this league already. I never expected the standards to be this high, I also did not realise that India was such a beautiful place.What is your take on Indian football and the Indian players and what is it like playing with them and against them?Like I said previously, I did not expect this level here in India. Indian football has got a lot of skill and passion, I really do hope that Indian football reaches great heights.
