Disappointed with Gurpreet’s comments: Chennaiyin coach

Bengaluru: Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory didn’t mince words describing his boys’s achievements against one of the best football clubs in India in the Indian Super League final on Saturday night. “We showed a lot of b***s today to come back and win,” he said, relieved and happy after guiding Chennaiyin to their second ISL title in four years with a 3-2 win over Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
“It’s still not sunk in yet. Back in September, we dreamt of being here, as champions of the Indian Super League. I’ve not had a good cry yet, but I’m sure that will come when I’ll be speaking to my players,” Gregory said.
In a grand finale which pitted the league’s top two against each other for the title, a resilient Chennaiyin fought back after going down to Bengaluru skipper Sunil Chhetri’s early goal. Mailson Alves’ brace and a clinical strike from Raphael Augusto brought the visitors back into the game and the Blues had only Miku’s injury time goal to take home as consolation.
“Bengaluru did make it difficult for us and to come and play here in their home ground was a big obstacle. But we just stuck to our game plan and trust me, that is hard work,” Gregory said. “I told players to keep a clean sheet in the second half. The third goal helped us to relax a bit more.”
Gregory, who became the first Englishman to win the ISL title, was not too happy with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s post-match comments where the Bengaluru goalkeeper said ‘…I believe we won the league phase and so we are the champions.’ The Blues finished top of the table after the league phase with 40 points from 18 games, eight points clear of Chennaiyin. “I was disappointed to hear him say that, but I think we got the cup, didn’t we?” the former Aston Villa manager remarked. “Playoffs were introduced back in the UK more than 20 years ago. You could finish 6th in the league and still qualify for the playoffs, even though you finished 20 points behind.”
Sad for my players, fans: Roca
Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca, meanwhile, didn’t want to be drawn into the debate over the format of the league. “Everybody knows we finished first, eight points above Chennaiyin. But the tournament is like it is and we cannot change that. It is not for me to say that is fair or not. It is for you to say, as a journalist,” the Spaniard told reporters.