Former Brazil international Elano talks about Chennaiyin FC, Indian football and Neymar

Elano Blumer has been the heart and soul of Chennaiyin FC ever since he joined the blue brigade in 2014. The Brazilian wizard took some time to hit the ground running this time around, but eventually class prevailed and he combined well with John Mendoza to revive Chennaiyin's hopes of reaching the semis. 

Here are the candid excerpts from a free flowing interview with the play maker at Hyatt Regency in Chennai.

1. This season has been a kind of topsy-turvy one for Chennaiyin FC (CFC). Why do you think this is?

Yes the season has been full of ups and downs. I believe it is a combination of many factors like the league getting tougher, bit of bad luck and perhaps we haven’t performed to our full potential in some matches.

2. Chennaiyin have turned things around now, but how difficult was it to keep the players motivated after demoralising defeats? Was the hunger of winning the remaining matches still there?
 End of the day we are all professional players so there was no time to dwell on past results. It was important to pull yourself up and prepare for the next game. We still believe we can reach the semi-finals.

3. MS Dhoni - the Indian ODI captain - is also the co-owner of your team alongside Abhishek Bachchan. Do you interact with him?
Yes of course, not just them but our other co-owner Mrs Vita Dani also. All three are very supportive.

4. Is there any pressure from the owners?
As I said all three are very supportive and more importantly they are very down to earth and understands players and the sport in general. It is a great environment for players and we are like one happy family.

5. This year the league has been quite competitive. Even after ten rounds of matches, all the teams still have a chance to go the semis. You have played in some of the biggest and most competitive leagues of the world (English Premier League, Turkish League, Brazilian League), so where do you rate ISL amongst them according to competitiveness?
 You know the standard of ISL has gone up this year compared to the first season. It is still early days for the league but it is heading in the right direction.

6. For two seasons you have played with and against some of the talented Indian players. What do you think about their future? Who or who all can take Indian football forward?
You know I was surprised by the level of Indian players last season. They surpassed my expectations. This year the standard has gone up further especially with all the top Indian players available too. I think with this league and their grassroots program, Indian football can only go forward.

7. A lot of Indians have managed to register their names on the scoresheet this season, which has already surpassed the figure of Indian goal scorers of last year. But why do these players fail to replicate the same when they play for India (India have lost five of the six 2018 World Cup qualifiers and have lost the opportunity to qualify for the mega event)?
You have to give the national team time. I believe the main beneficiaries of the ISL will be the next generation because of the excellent grassroots program that each franchise has. As for the current lot, the talent is there and I hope their results improve.

8. Lastly, talking about Brazil, players like Douglas Costa and Willian have performed well in the recent matches but Neymar seems to be the go to man. Is the over dependence on one star hampering the chances of the nation? Why can’t Brazil perform like they used to in the past? 
When you have a player like Neymar, a team would always depend heavily on him but I think recent results and performances have been encouraging as we have won games in Neymar’s absence also with players like Willian and Alex Teixeira stepping up.