India’s head coach Igor Stimac said that his team will look to seize the moment, playing in consecutive editions of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time.
Talking to the reporters in a virtual interaction on Sunday, the 1998 FIFA World Cup bronze medal winner said that he would not put too much performance pressure on his players against Asian heavyweights Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in the group stage.
“We are now trying to play fearless football, trying and intending to do our stuff, never mind who we play against. I don’t mind the final result here. I just want our boys to enjoy the tournament, to gain the experience,” Stimac said.
READ | Stimac names 26-member squad for AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023
“Our top priority this year is to qualify for the third round of the World Cup Qualifier as all these games from the Asian Cup – which are really important to us – should help us in the way of stabilising our game.”
India, which finished as the runner-up in the Asian Cup in 1964, reached Doha amid raucous cheers from hundreds of fans at the airport on Saturday. But the Croat ensured that the team was focused entirely on training well before the tournament in the Qatar capital.
“We decided to come straight over here and not waste time on travelling later on. So we are trying to settle down with the climate conditions here, to adjust to the football pitches and to settle down well with the short time given to us,” he said.
India will have nine training sessions in the run-up to its opener against Australia on January 13, which will involve two days of four training sessions followed by rest on the third day. A week before the match, on January 7, the Blue Tigers will play a match among themselves to finalise the squad.
The team will miss three key players from its first team, with Jeakson Singh, Anwar Ali and Ashhique Kuruniyan out with injuries and Stimac agreed that that would affect the team’s full strength in the tournament.
“Everything started losing (falling apart) after Ashique. After him, it was Anwar and Jeakson followed. Then lately, the players who were mostly the backup options for us in the middle of the park, like Glan (Martins) and Rohit (Kumar) suffered certain injuries,” he said.
“So, are not as good as we could be at the moment, but we don’t have time to think about those who are not with us.”
He added that Deepak Tangri has thus been included in the squad as a back-up to Lalengmawia Ralte and Suresh Singh – two of India’s expected pivots in the midfield – to pitch in for defensive duties and also to fend off set-pieces against taller and more physical opponents.
However, he maintained that Anwar’s absence is a huge blow and his balance at the back is something the team will miss in Qatar.
“It’s not easy because Anwar is one of the best young defenders in Asia already. So, it’s a huge loss for us, especially in the build-up phase, with his calmness and stability on the passing and it’s not going to be easy but the boys (Lalchungnunga and Rahul Bheke) have a great opportunity to grab the chance and take the position,” he said.
India will also find solace in the return of Sahal Abdul Samad from an ankle injury, who has revelled at the Mohun Bagan Super Giant as the attacking midfielder with five assists and one goal.
The former Kerala Blasters player had limped off the field during a match against Odisha FC at the start of December, following a rash tackle by Ahmed Jahouh. Though there were doubts about his timeline of return, he made it right in time for the Asian Cup squad.
“I was very happy to see Sahal settling down with the Mohun Bagan in a proper way, assisting many goals. That was really important for him,” Stimac said.
India starts its Asian Cup campaign against 2015 champion Australia and will face Uzbekistan and Syria on January 18 and 23, respectively.
“This group is really strong, much stronger than that in the last AFC Asian Cup. And whatever we do, as many points as we get, it’s gonna be fantastic. The most important thing for us is to have a good performance and to play stable football,” Stimac said. “Never mind that 17 out of 26 players are playing in such a big tournament for the first time, it will be a great experience for them.”
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