Defending champions, Chennaiyin FC have looked a shadow of their former selves in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19. Eight matches into the season and the Marina Machans have the second worst defence in the league while their attackers haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory either. However, a win against local rivals Kerala Blasters FC at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday could act as a turning point in their quest for the playoffs.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference before the southern derby, Chennaiyin’s head coach, John Gregory urged his players to realize what’s at stake for their fans. “I hope the players appreciate the importance of a derby game. Sometimes as a player you are protected from a rivalry because you’re not out on the street with the fans, the people of Chennai. Obviously, if we would win, it would make their whole week. It’ll make our week as well, if we were to win. The players don’t have to take the same kind of pressure, the banter, the insults that the fans take if we weren’t to win. It’s vitally important for us as a football club to get all three points for our own benefit. Our players have to realize the importance for our fans as well. Tomorrow represents another game where there is a lot of pride at stake for both sets of fans,” he said.

Currently in ninth and with only one win on the board, Chennai look far from playoff contenders, let alone title challengers. As a result, the task facing Gregory is a massive one as he looks to keep his players motivated for the rest of an already dire campaign. “It’s not easy without any question. After the Pune game, everything looked different. Following morning it was a pleasure to get up at breakfast to see my lovely boys who I love so much. I’ve got up the following morning after the match (we lost to Jamshedpur), and I don’t want to see them, and they don’t want to see me. So, it just makes everything so much better, winning a football match,” the Englishman explained.

He continued: “So, to keep them motivated is not easy because I have to pick the team. I change the team from time to time. I have to leave out people and they hate me when I do that. I have to deal with that side of it. So, it’s different. It becomes a slightly different life but when it comes to work time, we do all get our heads down and put in the work. We try a million different ways of motivating our players and getting them switched on before a game. We’ll continue to be motivated and we got a lot ahead of us.”

Gregory concluded his press conference by lavishing praise on the Kerala Blasters fans before going on to caution his players against complacency. “It’s a huge fan base that they have. They travel to away games. They support their team, stick by their team. I was fully expecting them to finish off NorthEast the other night. David (James) must have been thinking there’s a good three points. Its not an easy place to go to. NorthEast, at the moment are playing really well. He must be really pulling his hair out. It was an unbelievable result. They are having a tough time as much as we are. Their home support is pretty amazing. Their travelling is amazing too. They’ve got a lot of fans to try and satisfy and keep happy. They’ve had a few injuries. There are no easy games in the Hero ISL. All 10 teams have the ability to turn up and play exceptionally well,” he opined.

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