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[caption id="attachment_23636" align="alignnone" width="850"] Jeje has all the qualities to be an icon of Indian football: Materazzi. File Picture[/caption]

Kolkata: Chennaiyin FC’s world cup winning Italian coach Marco Materazzi has heaped huge praises on Jeje Lalpekhlua. The Italian feel the Mohun Bagan footballer has all the potential to be the best in the business.

“Jeje can become the best player of the country. He has all the potentialities to become the best striker of India. He has scored some outstanding goals for us last season. I feel he can be an icon to help develop football in India,” commented Materazzi ahead of his team’s first match in ISL 3 against Atletico de Kolkata.

The defending champions will be without key players like Elano Blumer, John Stven Mendoza and Bruno Palissari. Both Mendoza and Elano have been released by the club while Palissari has switched to Delhi Dynamos. Mendoza is right now plying his trade in the MLS (Major League Soccer).But Materazzi stressed on the importance of teamwork rather than key players.

“We should rather talk about the players that are here. And about the players who won us the title last year, Mendoza is going great along his own path. He’s growing personally and as a player. He’s making great strides and having a great experience in the MLS (Major League Soccer). I have personally chosen all of my players and have faith in all of them. It would have been easy for me to win the title and leave, but no. Our aim is to win the title again, with Mendoza and Elano or without them," commented Materazzi.

The defending champions did not have the greatest of starts last season. They lost to Atletico in the first match at Salt Lake Stadium by a 2-3 margin. Atletcio’s marquee footballer Helder Postiga scored a brace in that match. On being asked if his team is concerned with the presence of Postiga, Materazzi said, “Postiga is one of the best foreign players in the ISL. He did seize the opportunity to score a couple of goals against us. I feel the first goal he scored was due to a defensive lapse. We do not have a strategy for any particular player. All I can say is we cannot afford to repeat the same mistake.”

Talking about his approach this season, Materazzi stressed on the importance of winning matches. He feels the defending champions should target to win as many number of matches and their primary target will be to qualify for the play-offs.

"Our approach will be the same as last season. This time everyone wants to beat Chennai because we’re the champions. All my players are very eager to win this time as well. Riise came here because he wanted to be a champion. He won the Champions League with Liverpool, he’s a winner. If you win once, it can be luck. To prove that you’re a champion, you have to win again and again.”

The 2006 World Cup winning footballer is grateful to the franchise for retaining him for another season. The Italian wants to justify the decision by the management by helping his side defend the title.

 “We are all happy to be back in Chennai. We have enjoyed fantastic support in the first two seasons and are looking forward to defend the title. We all know how difficult it was for our people in Chennai last year during the floods. I know winning the trophy didn’t solve their problems but we played for them and will try our best to keep the trophy in Chennai.”

He is one man who is never shy of giving an eye on eye approach to the opponent which had led to controversies many a time. Asked to comment on the manager he admired, he did not hesitate to take Mourinho’s name.

"If the club wants a manager who can make the team fight and give their all for a win, then I'm their man. If they want to top the discipline charts, they'll tell me and I'll walk out," he said in his customary style.

It will be a battle of old team-mates when Chennaiyin FC will face Delhi Dynamos at Marino Arena on October 06. Materazzi will have his former team-mate Zambrotta on the Dynamos bench.

“Yeah, I am looking forward to meeting him. Right now my focus is on the match coming up against Atletico on Sunday. We have been very good friends but will turn foes when we meet each other on the pitch. Once the match will get over, I will take him for dinner” signs off Materazzi