ISL final against Chennaiyin is most important game of my life: Chhetri

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC Captain Sunil Chhetri today said the ISL title-clash against Chennaiyin FC tomorrow is the most important game of his life.

“For a club, which had won four trophies in four years, to come into a new league wasn’t easy. Tomorrow, I don’t know. It is the most important game of my life,” Chhetri said with oozing enthusiasm.

The hosts had lost to Chennaiyin in the league stage but Chhetri said it is not worth thinking about that match because they managed to come back strongly.

Chhetri also lauded coach Albert Roca for showing tremendous trust in all players, which was quite evident in two different teams he fielded in the ISL and AFC Cup matches recently.

“Roca has trust in every player. We treat AFC Cup very high. For us AFC Cup is very huge. For him to pick two different teams on March 11 and 14, that tells you how much the coach trusts them,” he said.

“Another good thing about Roca is he knows exactly what he wants. Even when we lost so many players in the draft, the process was the same – keep trying hard and move on,” he added.

Chhetri said his side has done well since more than the individuals it’s the team’s performance which is paramount.

“In our team, the mantra is simple, we play for the team. In our team, we look forward to key performances and that is probably why we have done well,” he added.

Asked about captaining Bengaluru FC, Chhetri said his job is made easy because every player including Miku and Dimas Delgado have an urge to improve every match.

“As a leader, my job is very easy because I don’t have to do anything. I see Miku working after training, we see Dimas (Delgado) working so hard. I am really fortunate that I am the captain of a team where everyone wants to improve,” he said.

Chhetri also lauded scheduling of ISL this time around, but called for further improvement.

“I think it is miles better this year. We have been able to juggle well,” he said.