Hyderabad FC 1-3 Chennaiyin FC: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | ISL 2019-20

Chennaiyin FC picked up their first away win of the 2019-20 season of ISL as they humbled Hyderabad FC 1-3 in a clash between the bottom dwellers at the Gachibowli Stadium on Friday. The win took the two-time champions to the seventh spot in the points table with 12 points from 11 matches.

Asish Rai gifted the ball to Nerijus Valskis in the 40th minute but the striker laid a square pass to Rafael Crivellaro and the latter smothered the ball into the back of an empty net.

But, the Lithuanian didn't have to wait long to get his name in the scoresheet as he turned past his marker and unleashed a curling effort amidst a host of Hyderabad FC bodies to double the lead four minutes later.

The change of sides didn't yield change of fortunes for the hosts as Chennaiyin FC tripled their advantage after Valskis produced another instance of exemplary finishing. Hyderabad FC did pull one goal back in the 88th minute of the game through Marcelinho but it proved to be too little too late.

Here are 5 talking points and tactical analysis from the game.

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#5 Chennaiyin FC begin the game by targetting the wings

Knowing that Hyderabad FC like to crowd the centre with their players, Chennaiyin FC took the avenue of attacking the wings in the early exchanges of the game.

It was evident right from the first minute when Nerijus Valskis made a run through the centre after the team played the ball to him through the right flank but he was adjudged offside correctly.

Kamaljit Singh had to pull good saves as Andre Schembri and Lallianzuala Chhangte troubled him in the opening ten minutes of the game. Both their full-backs surged forward with Edwin getting into good crossing positions and Jerry Lalrinzuala even registering a shot on target.

Hyderabad FC too tried to exploit the wider areas of the pitch. Nikhil Poojary's square pass to Nestor Gordillo in the 19th minute where the Spaniard pulled the trigger from the outside of the box was, in fact, the best chance of the game.

But, apart from that, they failed to create any good opportunities. Although it failed to result in any goal, Owen Coyle commanding his troops to pass the ball near the sidelines as and when they got the opportunities shows that they had done their homework right.

#4 The undefined roles of Hyderabad FC midfielders made the job easy for Chennaiyin FC

Only Phil Brown knows why he is deploying Adil Khan in the midfield instead of the back-four

Hyderabad FC started the game by fielding themselves in a narrow version of 4-3-3 with Adil Khan, Marko Stankovic, and Rohit Kumar playing in the midfield. But, very few could understand what roles Phil Brown assigned to the trio.

Of the little which was comprehensible, it looked as if Adil Khan's job was to help out the defence when Chennaiyin FC had the possession, Marko Stankovic's chore was to take shots from distance, and Rohit Kumar's task was to press the defenders when they held on to the ball for a long duration.

Whenever either of the three players got the ball, they passed it to Marcelinho or Nestor Gordillo and they carried forward the attack. Their utility in the attacking half of the pitch was very limited.

Chennaiyin FC, on the other hand, played with a discernible 4-1-4-1/4-2-3-1 formation. Anirudh Thapa helped Germanpreet Singh in front of the back-four whenever the opposition had the possession and helped initiate counters alongside Rafael Crivellaro.

Despite getting the upper hand in crucial statistics like ball possession, passing accuracy, and number of successful passes completed, Hyderabad FC never looked like asserting their dominance. A huge chunk of it can be played on their lackadaisical midfield.

#3 Hyderabad FC get their groove going a bit late

Marcelinho grabbed a consolation goal for Hyderabad FC

Hyderabad FC looked like a new outfit brimming with energy after Bobo and Nestor Gordillo came off the pitch. When the two were present, it looked as if the team was overdependent on them and Marcelinho. But, the balance got restored thereafter.

Hyderabad FC played like a unit and not like a collection of individuals in the last quarter of the game. In the 76th minute, Asish Rai floated a beautiful cross but Marcelinho headed it wide. Five minutes later, Asish tried to cut inside the box but Lucian Goian's trademark from-the-behind sliding challenge inside the box prevented him from taking a shot.

After Marko Stankovic's failed effort to bulge the ball into the back of the net from distance, Hyderabad FC finally scored a goal when Marcelinho capitalized on Eli Sabia's error to fire the ball home.

That goal inspired even the defensive unit. In the last minute of regulation time, Nikhil Poojary made a wonderful goal-line clearance after Nerijus Valskis tried to slot the ball past the goal-line from a tight angle.

Chennaiyin FC, on the other hand, slacked in the same period. Owen Coyle took out Rafael Crivellaro and Andre Schembri who were the two most creative players on the pitch to give chance to the bench. While Firtulescu thrived on his role, Rahim Ali failed to create the same amount of impact.

#2 Rafael Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis show no mercy

Nerijus Valskis helped Chennaiyin FC extend their lead against Hyderabad FC

Rafael Crivellaro has been the most creative player for Chennaiyin FC so far in the season and the Brazilian proved his worth one more time tonight. He carved open the Hyderabad FC defence countless times with his through passes and one-twos with fellow colleagues.

With Hyderabad FC not closing the lines properly, Rafael Crivellaro ended the game by taking the most number of shots for any Chennaiyin FC player. Three of them ended up being on target as he also opened the floodgates for them.

But, the most lethal player for Chennaiyin FC on the pitch was Nerijus Valskis. The Lithuanian created four chances, the most by any player, and comes as no surprise to have been involved in all three of their goals.

For the first goal, he gleefully accepted Asish Rai's miscued back-pass and left it unselfishly for Rafael Crivellaro to finish the job. After receiving a pass from Schembri, the Lithuanian made a quick turn before bending the ball with enough power to score the second goal of the game.

His quick turn and curling short troubled Kamaljit Singh again and resulted in the third goal which put the contest to bed.

Chennaiyin FC still have a mathematical possibility to reach the ISL playoffs by finishing in the fourth spot if other results go in their way. And for that, both Crivellaro and Valskis need to relentlessly display the same performances which they exhibited against Hyderabad FC.

#1 Individual errors in defence cost Hyderabad FC again

There were six Hyderabad FC defenders in the box but none of them failed to put a proper block when Nerijus Valskis scored his first goal

Phil Brown's side is the only club in the competition which has failed to keep a clean sheet so far. And, going by the dismal performances of the Hyderabad FC defenders, it looks like they might end the season without one.

The first goal came after a poor understanding between Asish Rai and Gurtej Singh. The former being pressurized by Chhangte thought Gurtej had stayed back. As a result, his back-pass went straight to Valskis.

For the second goal, there were six Hyderabad FC players in the box but still, no one had covered the angles properly to block the Lithuanian's shot. Moreover, Chhangte was lying free inside the box and had Valskis decided to lay the ball mercilessly for him again, there was nothing the team could have done.

After Rafael Crivellaro intercepted a Hyderabad FC throw-in, he passed the ball to an unmarked Andre Schembri just outside the box. The Maltese international laid a through ball to Valskis and sealed his assist.

Chennaiyin FC ended the game with 13 shots and it poses enough question on the character of the defenders.

Against Kerala Blasters, the injury to Rafa Lopez Gomes spiralled Hyderabad FC out of control in the defence. Gurtej Singh, Asish Rai, and Nikhil Poojary need to improve their tempo if they want to be proven as any sort of help to Matthew Kilgallon.

Unlike an error in the organization, it seems as if the players lack enough concentration to stay in the game for full ninety minutes. As a defender in his playing days, this should be a major concern for Phil Brown.