For Stimac, Asian Games is the priority in hectic September

NEW DELHI: After three consecutive tournament victories, a 16-match unbeaten streak at home, and a re-entry into the top 100 in FIFA Rankings, the Indian men’s football team will head abroad for the first time this year in September to take part in the King’s Cup in Thailand.

Up against a heavyweight side like Iraq in the first game, it will be a challenge unlike any other the Blue Tigers have faced in 2023. Yet, head coach Igor Stimac’s biggest focus in a hectic month of football is on the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, beginning nine days after India’s trip to Thailand.

In a discussion with the aiff.com, Stimac spoke about his expectations from the King’s Cup and the Asian Games, the importance of being injury-free in a tight schedule, and his thoughts on AIFF’s Task Force to study the status of PIO footballers.

The head coach feels the players are more eager than him to prove themselves, but the King’s Cup will be a dif-ferent challenge for the boys as it will be played on foreign soil.

“I am very eager, but I need to check how eager the boys are when I see them. They’ve spent the last few weeks with their clubs, with their club coaches, working on different things, and also enjoying the Durand Cup. Obviously, the King’s Cup will be a different challenge from the previous home tournaments, where we were very successful.

“We’ve got the toughest possible opponents (Iraq) in the first game, and we’ll see how we can handle that with such a short time for preparation. I’ve been following our opponents whom we will face in the King’s Cup and also preparing an analysis for the Asian Games,” Stimac said.

Sunil’s absence in the King’s Cup, Stimac feels, will give an opportunity to try out different things in the attack.

“That’s why we are following our boys in the Durand Cup. And they are doing well. They are showing good atti-tude, putting on good performances. But we have many things happening in September. So we’ll see who will get the opportunity and who will use it in a proper way”, Stimac said.

The coach doesn’t think that Asian heavyweight Iraq playing in the King’s Cup will give the team a fair assess-ment of what is to be expected in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.

“No, not really. I keep mentioning that the most important thing for our national team is to be resistant enough and have the level of intensity needed to do well. In the four years since I took charge, whenever we had short preparation time, we couldn’t show compactness when facing higher-ranked opponents.

“But crucially, we have stabilised the most important part of our game which is the defence. So from that point of view, we can expect a stable defensive block. But I’m not sure how much energy we’re going to have for high-intensity football, which we did magnificently in the previous three tournaments,” Stimac said.

With so many matches to be played in the coming months, including club football, Stimac feels maintaining fit-ness will be key for the players.

“That’s the risk every club and national team in the world are taking these days. We can clearly see that there is less and less time for the players to enjoy the rest they need. These things will need to change because there is too much pressure on the players. “I know that there are many players waiting on the sidelines, knocking on the door of those who are already big stars... So staying injury-free is the key,” Stimac said. (IANS)

Also Read: AIFF chief formulates Task Force to study status of PIO footballers

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