ISL: Hard for defending champions, everyone wants to beat you: Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory

Bengaluru, September 20: This September 30, Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory will begin his Indian Super League (ISL) title defence at the same place where he won it - against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. And though Gregory knows that it's hard to repeat the previous year's display with other teams upgrading their staff and players, he says there's no room for complacency at the Chennaiyin FC setup.

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"We're up there to be shot at," Gregory said on the pressure of defending the title. "In any walk of life, you become the target when you are the champion. Everyone wants to be you. Although you should be aware of what you have achieved, you shouldn't get complacent and take it easy. My group of boys are aware of that and it will be even tougher to retain the championship, but we're ready for it.

At this time 10 days later, our @IndSuperLeague title defence will be underway 🙌🏼

Are you excited for #BENCHE, Machans?!#PoduMachiGoalu #LetsFootball #10Natkalil pic.twitter.com/fpOyvuPpEa

— Chennaiyin F.C. 🏆🏆 (@ChennaiyinFC) September 20, 2018

"A lot of the preparation this time is to increase the players' mental strength. Many people in the room will know Sir Alex Ferguson (former Manchester United coach). When he won his first championship back in the 1990s, he wanted to win it again and he did so 13 times. That's the true sign of a champion. You don't win it once. You have to win it the following year as well and I try to instill that into my squad this season."

While the other teams have roped in marquee signings like Tim Cahill (Jamshedpur FC) or roped in the best domestic talent like Anas Edathodika (Kerala Blasters), Chennaiyin FC have retained their faithful. Jeje Lalpekhlua, part of the squad since the club's inception in 2014, will lead the attack once again and Inigo Calderon and Mailson Alves will bolster the defence for yet another season.
While Henrique Sereno will not be part of the Chennaiyin FC squad any more, the Marina Machans have instead signed Brazilian Eli Sabia. Dutch winger Gregory Nelson and midfielder Raphael Augusto have been retained.

.@I_CALDERON_14 lets us in on a secret challenge between him and @JerryRinzuala 😉

A candid chat with the @IndSuperLeague's fittest player on the sidelines of #HeroISLMediaDay!#PoduMachiGoalu pic.twitter.com/QgeXiyihvO

— Chennaiyin F.C. 🏆🏆 (@ChennaiyinFC) September 20, 2018

The record for a team defending its title is poor. ATK and Chennaiyin FC, the only two sides to win the ISL, have both suffered the year after their championship victory. While Gregory insists that the poor run can be overcome with the right mentality, he has still strengthened his backroom staff just in case. Birmingham City's first-team coach Paul Groves is now the assistant coach at Chennaiyin FC while their goalkeeper coach Kevin Hitchcock joins the backroom staff for the same role he had in Birmingham.

"The preparation for defending the title starts from the first day of the pre-season," Gregory added. "We looked at our players - every single one of them - and one of the things we looked at is their attitude. They have come back with better attitude and you can see it in their training. They have all got exactly the same kind of desire and hunger they had 12 months ago and that speaks volumes for me. As the leader of the group, I have to make sure that they maintain this hunger, desire and professionalism. It all starts again next week and we're determined and still hungry.

One love, football ⚽ 🎯#HeroISLMediaDay #LetsFootball @jejefanai pic.twitter.com/81t7OkXV2Q

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 20, 2018

"When you play against us, it won't be easy. We'll never make it easy. Regardless of what the score is, we'll play the entire 90 minutes and we'll be on your face. We're not afraid of anything while off the field, we're totally relaxed. Our training sessions are as good as those conducted by Premier League clubs and we'll show that on the pitch."

Indian Super League: Bengaluru FC vs Chennaiyin FC

September 30

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