ISL 2015: Chennaiyin FC 2-1 FC Pune City - Post Match Reaction
A return to familiar surroundings at home proved beneficial as Chennaiyin FC saw off FC Pune City with a 2-1 victory. Goals from Bernard Mendy and John Stiven Mendoza set Chennaiyin on their way, but there was a slight scare when Kalu Uche pulled a goal back for the visitors, but Chennaiyin managed to stave off any further threat that Pune caused.
Pune boss David Platt felt the result was justified
Pune manager David Platt thought it was a deserved win for Chennaiyin. Platt said he thought his side didn’t play as well as they could have, and paid the price for it.
When asked about Pune conceding from a long throw he said, “When a guy is going for a towel and wiping his hands, you know a long throw is coming. And the throw had a nice trajectory, but we had enough men in the box to deal with it. When we didn’t get our heads to it first, we were always going to be in trouble.”
The Englishman said he was pleased by Adrian Mutu’s efforts in the 25 minutes that the Romanian was on the pitch. “With Adrian, you’re always going to get attempts at goal and today was no different. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hit the back of the net, but he showed a lot of good signs and looked very sharp on the pitch.”
On whether he got it wrong tactically, Platt was pragmatic in his comments. “Hindsight is a very nice thing, especially when you’ve lost. I mad a few decisions that I thought suited us best. There was a lot of deliberation over whether I should start Bikash [Jairu], but I went with Manish, because I thought starting Bikash would leave us too open, and would hand Chennaiyin a height advantage.”
The former assistant to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City also felt that Pune playing 3 games in 7 days wasn’t ideal, but that they would deal with it. “Playing Saturday, then Tuesday and then Friday is not ideal, but then that is the way it is for all the teams. The fixture list is what it is, and we have to deal with it. That is why we have 2 players in the squad.”
Chennayin FC relieved to get the three points
Chennaiyin FC assistant coach Vivek Nagul was delighted with his team’s performance. “We played very well and deserved to win. It is a relief to get three points, especially after the last game in Guwahati.”
Nagul singled out Karanjit Singh and Stiven Mendoza for special praise. “Karanjit came in for his debut and played really well, making a few crucial saves. Mendoza is an asset for us. He always wants to make something happen, and is very calm in front of goal. We are only hoping that he can continue to score goals for us.”
Karanjit was delighted to have finally made his ISL bow, and denied the fact that he was under any pressure. “I will definitely have to thank Marco [Materazzi] and the support staff for giving me the chance today, especially after Edel was Man of the Match in the last game. But there was no pressure that I felt, because I knew that I had the backing of the entire dressing room.”
Karanjit also dismissed any notions that he would have issues communicating with the likes of Mailson Alves and Mendy. He said, “We’ve trained together for a while now, since our pre-season in Italy. We also played a few friendly matches. So, communication was not an issue. We are a united group, and know each other well.”
Bernard Mendy was delighted to have redeemed himself after his disastrous performance in Chennaiyin’s last home game. “Against Kolkata, I was very bad. So, it is nice to come back, score a goal and help the team to get three points. That is how football is. One day, you are a hero and the next, you are a villain. So we have to be very alert.”
Indian winger Jayesh Rane is enjoying his time with Chennaiyin. “Playing with the likes of Elano and Mendoza is very easy. You have to give them the ball, and they will give it back to you where you want it, if you’ve made a run. It was a fabulous performance today, and we will look to keep this going.”