Satyasagara’s focus on strong defence

Chennai City FC’s (CCFC) new head coach Satyasagara is upbeat about the I-League season set to begin on January 9, 2021, and his focus, he insists, is to strengthen the defence and also be clinical upfront.

With that in mind, CCFC has recruited three Serbians and a Singaporean striker (Asian quota). CCFC will take on Gokulam Kerala on Jan. 9 in its first match at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium in West Bengal.

“My main focus is to strengthen the defence, and finish in the top 5 in the first round of the league. This time, we have three Serbians: a midfielder (Vladimir Molerovic), striker (Demir Avdic) and centre back (Elvedin Skrijelj). They play aerial balls really well and are physically strong,” Satyasagara told The Hindu here on Thursday.

“They will be good in set pieces too and I am looking at that. We also have Iqbal Hussain (winger/striker) who played for the Singapore National team.”

Satyasagra, who was with CCFC for the last two years assisting Akbar Nawaz, said the team has retained its core from last season. “I came here with Akbar [Nawaz] in 2018-19. I was the assistant and fitness coach then. We are good friends. We are keeping the core players from Tamil Nadu from last season such as Charles [Anandraj], Sriram, Vijay Thomas and Vijay Nagappan and goalkeeper Kabir Thaufiq will be our first choice,” he said.

Pre-season

The 56-year-old Singaporean said the pre-season camp had already started at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research in the city, which will end on December 25. “We are leaving for Kolkata for the I-League on the 26th. You know there is a lot of talent from all over India wanting to play for CCFC, but unfortunately time is very short,” said the head coach.

CCFC owner Rohit Ramesh said: “He [Satyasagara] has been with us for two years now. He knows the culture and the pedigree of our club keeping in mind to promote our local talent. We wish him the best.”