CCFC ropes in Jordi Gris Vila as assistant coach for a year

Jordi was, for a few months, with the EPL club Manchester City, as an analyst, last season, and has worked as a scout, with the second grade Barcelona team.

Jordi Gris Vila added that the level of football in India, and CCFC’s football, especially, “isn’t really bad”.

I-League club Chennai City FC (CCFC), on Tuesday, made it official that Spaniard Jordi Gris Vila has joined the club on a one-year contract as the assistant coach. Jordi, who was for a few months with the EPL club Manchester City as an analyst last season, and who has worked as a scout with the second grade Barcelona team, will be assisting the new head coach Mohammad Akbar Bin Abdul Nawas of Singapore. He’s also been made the director of the club’s youth football system.

According to them, they bonded over work with Global Cebu FC, in the Philippines, in 2017. “I met him in the Philippines last year, and we became friends. I thought he’ll be very helpful in taking Chennai City FC to the next level,” said Akbar.

The coaches, who’ve planned to watch all matches in the city-based CFA senior division football league here, said that the first thing to be done, as preparation for the upcoming season, is to scout for new talents. “Firstly, we have to scout for new players – local and foreign. We have to look for the best players to play in our system, in our style,” said Jordi, after the CFA senior division league match, on Tuesday.

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“Well, definitely, we have to scout first. We have to scout the players for the style of football we want to play,” said Akbar, who also added that “Soosai (Raj) is a big loss (for the club).” Striker Soosai Raj has been signed by Jamshedpur FC, to play in the Indian Super League (ISL), next season.

On the club’s style of football, Akbar said, “We like to build up from the back, dominate possession, and then play in the opponent’s half. It’s not because we want to play beautiful football, but we want to play effective football. It’s about the effectiveness of how we can progress to the opponent’s goal.”

Jordi, who said that he analysed and made weekly reports on players like Benjamin Mendy at Manchester City, and who was with CCFC, when it lost to Atletico de Kolkata, in the Super Cup qualifier, added that the level of football, here, in India, and CCFC’s football, especially, “isn’t really bad.”

“I think the level, here, technically, is not bad really. We must improve tactically. That’s very important. And we will start working on it,” he said.

“We have to work on the players’ individual tactics. And how we behave as a group, defensively and offensively. And, definitely, the team tactics. That’s why Jordi is here. Together, we have to impart a lot of tactical knowledge to the players and lift their level,” said Akbar.