ISL 2018-19: John Gregory confirms he won't continue as Chennaiyin boss

Defending champions Chennaiyin FC ended their Indian Super League (ISL) season with a narrow defeat to FC Goa, with Ferran Corominas strike separating the two teams.

Chennai boss John Gregory was pleased with how his team created chances and kept the fearsome Goa attack at bay for most parts of the game.

“I seem to think that we had at least four or five chances to score and we didn't take our chances. I thought we kept them pretty quiet, to be honest. They are a free-flowing team who have scored lots of goals, particularly in the last two years.

“There were one or two outstanding performances from one or two of our players but we lost the game. It's been a problem for us scoring goals all season. We weren't very prolific last year but we didn't concede goals. We were defensively very strong last season,” Gregory reflected on the game.

With just nine points in 18 matches, Chennaiyin ended the season by creating an unwanted record, making them the team to have the least points towards the end of the tournament, ever since it’s inception.

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The Englishman took it as a personal insult. He said – “For me, it's a personal insult. I'm a very proud man and I'm not proud of my team being at the bottom of the table but I have to accept it and get on with it. Fortunately, there is no relegation and the team will start with a clean slate next season.

“What we normally do is, have a bad year and then win the title. The stats say that we are going to win the title next year.”

Gregory also confirmed that he won’t be continuing as the coach of Chennaiyin for another term.

“I won't be here next year. So, I don't know what will happen next season. My contract is up this summer,” he confirmed.

Regardless of what the points table says, the Chennaiyin boss feels that the team is capable of putting on a good show in the Super Cup and the AFC Cup.

“It's not a problem. If you saw our performance today, there were lots of very good things that happened for our team today. I was very pleased with the way they played. A lot of teams have played against Goa and have been torn apart to shreds. They didn't hurt us as badly.

“It's been a tough season but the motivation and the drive is still there in the team. Chrissy (Christopher Herd) did really well for us in the central midfield. We missed Dhanpal Ganesh hugely this year.

“We're representing the country now. I'm sure there will be a lot of support up and down the country hoping that we can do well,” he said.

On being asked if Goa are favourites to dethrone them, Gregory admitted that they were the best team he faced this season. But the Gaurs must step it up a notch to go all the way.

“They need to play a bit better than they did today if they want to win the ISL. Sergio (Lobera) could have made a few changes today but he played a fairly strong team against us. He obviously wants to keep everybody match fit. They have been the best footballing team that I have come against this season. They have got a match winner in Coro and Edu Bedia,” the Englishman suggested.