Indian Super League 2020/21: East Bengal vs Chennaiyin FC – tactical analysis

Its fair to say, life did not greet Robbie Fowler gleefully in India. The last position in the Indian Super League table and a fair share of controversy was not what Robbie Fowler was hoping for in the first month.

Csaba László started on a brilliant note beating Jamshedpur in the opener, however, Chennaiyin FC seemed to have lost their track. Dont get me wrong, Chennaiyin FC played brilliantly in all their games recording the highest xG, 2.16 per game this season, however, the Marina Machans have been wasteful in front of the goal.

Both the teams clashed to earn all three points and it was evident throughout the match. Although the game ended in a 2-2 draw, either of the teams could have sealed the win.

In this tactical analysis, we will discuss the tactics and intricacies of both the managers. This analysis will also discuss why East Bengal struggled in the first half massively along with other aspects of the game.

Line-ups

Robbie Fowler started with his newly adopted 4-1-4-1 instead of his preferred 5-3-2. However, he reverted back to his preferred formation in the second half with East Bengal trailing 0-1. The Liverpool legend also started with the same personnel that played against Kerala Blasters in the previous fixture.

Chennaiyin’s three-man backline

In the first phase of build-up, Memo dropped to form a three-man backline. He generally occupied a wider position rather than splitting the centre-backs and Anirudh Thapa acted as the lone pivot. When that happened the Chennaiyin wingers would invert and the full-backs would overlap causing East Bengal problems.

East Ben