A day before his team’s Indian Super League 2015 opener against reigning champions Atlético de Kolkata at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, Marco Materazzi, head coach of Season 2014 semi-finalists Chennaiyin FC, seemed hopeful of an improved performance in the second edition of the tournament.The ex-Italy international addressed the media on Friday in Chennai and said: “Last year, we did a very good with less time; this year, we have had more time to organize everything.”He seemed pleased with the Perugia pre-season training sessions, especially with Brazilian winger Bruno Pelissari. “The most important thing in the pre-season was to get to know each other. But if I have to pick one player who did very well, I would say Bruno. This is without taking anything from others. Everybody puts in great effort and everybody wants to play,” Materazzi said.Abhishek Das, who plays his second season under Materazzi, spoke about doing better this time around. “Last year was very disappointing for me because of injury throughout the season. I just want to prove myself again. The coach has plenty of faith in me. So, I just want to play well and win this time,” Das said.Commenting on the Perugia sessions, the young right back said, “Pre-season was a great experience, should help us throughout the [ISL] season. We played with four difficult opponents and we played well.”Chennaiyin FC, who was the top-scoring team last season with 27 goals, have reinforced their squad this season with some new blood, young as well as seasoned. Materazzi was very confident about his squad and its aggressive approach. “Yes, we are a pretty good team as compared to the one we had last year. We are an even more offensive team this season,” Materazzi said.The Italian made one crucial signing this season – that of Fikru Teferra from Atlético de Kolkata, which should create some buzz for the first clash of the season. “Fikru has proven that he knows the tournament very well. I picked him because of his experience and his outstanding qualities,” Materazzi said.But what was his strategy going up against the defending champions in the league opener? “Big games are played by big players. I think we also have the best players, so it’s going to be a great game. I am looking forward to it.”
