Chennaiyin FC play FC Pune City in their final game of the first leg of the group stage here in Pune. The build up to the game is electric, as both teams know that a win will take them to the top of the table. The palpable excitement was especially audible in the voice of Chennaiyin FC’s player-coach Marco Materazzi at the pre-match press conference.It is a given that any team which holds the first place going into the second part of the season will enjoy a boost in morale, and Materazzi is taking the opportunity very seriously. “It is very important to achieve first position in the table at this point,” said Materazzi, stressing that the team mindset is positive, despite playing out draws in the previous two games.The Italian gaffer is proud of the team and the competition’s top scorer Elano, as he had drafted him. “I got him, he’s my choice!” beamed the coach. “When you have a Brazilian who has played about 50 games for his nation, you can expect such quality.” But he refuses to admit that the team is over-reliant on their marquee player. “Elano is good, but we have Bruno (Augusto Pelissari de Lima) and Cristian (Hidalgo González) too,” he quipped.What about his opponents? “They have an Italian defence and an Italian manager, so they are bound to be well organized!” Materazzi said with a grin. “But we don’t have any special preparations, we’re going to play the same. If you have good attackers, like us, you go out and attack, and if you have good defenders, you change the tactics accordingly.”Chennai go into the match with a fully fit squad, and the manager plans to put together the best squad he can. “Tomorrow is important, it’s like a final; it’s the same for Pune too. So no, I don’t see the need to rest any players.”And finally, when asked how he feels about the success he has achieved in the completion as a manager thus far, Materazzi replied, “I got my coaching licences and this opportunity to coach in the ISL came up. I took it up, as the ISL has a lot of viewers, and that is important. Football is growing in India, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
