Chennaiyin FC began with wrong formation: Coach Gregory

Chennai, Nov 19 (IANS) Chennaiyin FC chief coach John Gregory admitted that he began with a wrong formation and shape of his team in the first half which saw them concede three goals during their close loss against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) contest here on Sunday.

Chennaiyin opted for a 3-5-2 formation and it resulted in goals from Ferran Corominas Telechea (25th minute), Manuel Lanzarote Bruno (29th) and Mandar Rao Desai (39th).

But Gregory felt that having switched to a 3-4-3 formation gave the side much more balance and power to counter the Goan side, which packed several midfielders and a lone forward in Telechea.

Chennaiyin came into the second half making two changes, bringing in Bikramjit Singh and Gregory Nelson in place of Slovenian forward Rene Mihelic and L. Dhanachandra Singh respectively.

They came roaring back as Spanish Inigo Calderon's free-kick was poorly handled by Goan custodian Laxmikant Kattimani in the 70th minute. Raphael Augusto converted a penalty 13 minutes later to give some nervous moments to Goa but the visiting outfit managed to seal a 3-2 win.

"I accept the responsibility that we put out a wrong formation in the first half. With that shape, we exposed ourselves more than we should have to Goa. We needed four midfielders which we brought in the second half and the game changed," John said at the post-match press conference.

"In the first half, Goa moved the ball really well and some of their movements were excellent."

The coach also felt that they deserved a draw.

"We deserved a draw. Goa must have been delighted with the final whistle. It was an outstanding second half performance.

"It was a one-way traffic. We were chasing the game and due to that, we exposed ourselves more but Goa never really threatened our goal in the second half. I am really proud of the way we fought back," Gregory added.