In their last game before the teams dispersed for the international break, they were soundly beaten 3-0 away at arch rivals Bengaluru FC that heaped more pressure on their coach John Gregory with the Englishman hinting afterwards that his time with the club may be at an end.

However, since then there has been no development on that front and Gregory returns still in-charge of the club as they look to get out of their current rut when they take on fellow strugglers Hyderabad FC on Monday in Chennai.

Gregory addressed the media on Sunday afternoon ahead of the game, accompanied by his captain Lucian Goian.

There was no doubt as to what the biggest question on everybody’s mind was and Gregory responded by saying that his comments at the end of the BFC game were largely due to the manner of the loss.

He said his club remains hopeful of getting back into contention for a semi-final spot.

Quizzed on if there had been any conversations between him and club management during the break, Gregory said,

When asked if he was confident of being the coach of Chennaiyin come the end of the season, the Englishman responded by saying,

Romanian defender Lucian Goian also echoed his coach’s sentiments saying that the group still feels strongly about turning around their sinking ship similar to what Mumbai City had managed last season after two heavy defeats early on.

He added that the team had come together and agreed that they were not going to give up without a fight.

Can Chennaiyin break their goal drought and get that all-important win?

The coach and captain put on a brave, unified front on Sunday, but their season is once again close to spiraling out of control soon. Anything apart from a win in their game against Hyderabad on Monday will be seen as a massive disappointment.

Phil Brown’s Hyderabad themselves have had just the one win and have had one of the most porous defences among all teams this season. With Chennaiyin having one of the most frugal attacks at the moment, it is a question of who breaks first in this battle.

Gregory expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance against Bengaluru, but in some ways the team he picked for the game didn’t help matters. Starting with two forwards and no width left the team with no options as they were overrun by BFC in the first half. Only after the introduction of Lallianzuala Chhangte and Dragos Firtulescu in the 2nd period did their game improve.

The Englishman confirmed that Mizo winger Chhangte will feature from the start against Hyderabad. He also needs his strikers, Andre Schembri and Nerijus Valskis, to get their shooting boots on. Both men have been guilty of missing some guilt-edged chances in their previous home games.

Jeje Lalpekhlua remains sidelined as Gregory confirmed that despite getting back into training with the main squad, he isn’t ready to feature in a match.

Solidarity in troubled times

The club earlier this week put out a video expressing the solidarity among the current squad to rebound from this horror start. It’s a video that many notable athletes and celebrities have gotten behind hoping to rally support for the club.

Indian paddler Sharath Kamal and cricketer Washington Sundar have lent their support behind it as well along with the likes of actor R. Madhavan as well getting behind the club in what is a bleak period for the 2-time champions.

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