I-League: Would like to maintain unbeaten streak at home, says Rajasthan United coach ahead of Churchill Brothers clash - ArticlesThings have changed much in the I-League since its resumption in the New Year. Sreenidi Deccan, who had finished 2022 as table-toppers, has dropped to second place after being defeated at home for the first time, and RoundGlass Punjab FC has grabbed the top spot. Rajasthan United had a role in this major change atop the table because they bottled up top-scorer David Castaneda and defeated the Deccan Warriors last Wednesday here at the Ambedkar Stadium.
I League LIVE Streaming: Gokulam Kerala takes on Churchill BrothersI League LIVE Streaming: It’s the battle of two of last season’s title race protagonists as Churchill Brothers FC take on defending champions… By Updated: December 26, 2021 03:32:32 pm I League LIVE Streaming: Gokulam Kerala takes on Churchill Brothers in opening match: Follow LIVE Updates I League LIVE Streaming: It’s the battle of two of last season’s title race protagonists as Churchill Brothers FC take on defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC on the opening day of the 2021-22 I-League at the Kalyani Stadium on Sunday. The Malabarians edged out the Red Machines by the narrowest of margins, on the head-to-head tie-breaker, to clinch their first-ever I-League title.
It was a home match where the opponents were reduced to ten men with more than 15 minutes to go for the final whistle. But from Senegalese Abdoulaye Sane to homeboy Anil Gaonkar – everyone was guilty of wasting opportunities. Varela will hope to see a better performance from his team as they embark on their second-leg journey with only 13 points. On Monday, he said, “This is not an easy field to play on, but we will try to fine-tune our strategy and earn three points. ”However, the coach refused to read too much into the first-leg defeat. “I was not in this role when Rajasthan defeated us in the first leg, so this is a new opportunity for me, ” he remarked. He also said it is an opportunity for the players to make amends and start the second leg of the I-League with a victory.
Aiming to bring the trophy home once again, the Goan side have assembled a quality squad under returning head coach Petre Gigiu. The Romanian was in-charge during the 2018/19 season, leading Churchill to a fourth-place finish. Coach Gigiu believes it will be a good game for Indian football tomorrow. “It will be a tough match against the champion team. There is no special preparation for tomorrow.
Kundu, however, played down that factor on the eve of the match. “There is no point thinking about the two wins over them (one in a pre-season tournament) this season, because now they have a couple of new players and a new coach, who has come with a new philosophy. We are taking them seriously because they will definitely want to avenge those defeats. On the other hand, We would like to maintain our unbeaten streak at home (3 wins, 2 draws), ” he said as quoted by an I-League press release. Churchill coach Fernando Santiago Varela cannot be blamed for being a worried man after his boys failed to grab full points against NEROCA FC in the last match.
We are playing for three points and are optimistic. ”I League LIVE Streaming: Gokulam Kerala takes on Churchill Brothers in opening match: Follow LIVE UpdatesAlso read: I-League 2021-22 LIVE: Double challenge for Defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC, defend I-League title & make GOLDEN debut in AFC CUP I League LIVE Streaming: With plenty of young players in their squad, Gigiu feels it will be challenging for them to square up against an experienced team like Gokulam. “Honestly, I’m a bit scared for the young players because they haven’t played a lot of games at this level.
That would definitely act as extra motivation for the home team and Pushpender Kundu’s boys would have gained a lot of confidence from their performance in the last match. They were marginally ahead of Sreenidi Deccan in terms of ball possession and shots on target but could convert a half-chance into a goal through defender Aidar Mambetaliev. Even the fact that they defeated Churchill in their own backyard in the first leg is a thing that could make the Goan side uneasy.