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#3 Chennai City FC's surge to the top
On extremely rare occasions, you would see a club avoiding relegation in one season, challenging for the trophy in the next season. Leicester City did it in 2016 in the English Premier League but, the same story has been repeating in the I-League since the past two seasons.
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Had Churchill Brothers won their last match of the season against the eventual champions Minerva Punjab, the Southerners would have been in the Second Division. But, much like Aizawl FC and Minerva Punjab in the previous two seasons, they find themselves in the pole position midway through the league.
One interesting aspect of their flight at the top is the perfect blending of their Indian players with the foreign counterparts. Edwin Vanspaul, Gaurav Bora, Pravitto Rahu, Charles Anandraj, and Romario Jesuraj have grown leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Akbar Nawas to replicate the Spanish style of short passing football in the I-League.
East Bengal, Real Kashmir, and NEROCA might be in the sniffing distance at the moment. But, Chennai City FC thoroughly deserve their lead.
