Ahead of the Intercontinental Cup next month – starting marker for India’s preparation for the Asian Cup early next year – Sunil Chhetri, a fox in the opposition penalty box, appeared at his sharpest in front of the camera while facing the questions thrown at him.
The short break, according to him, has seen the national team boys come back refreshed and recharged, after the gruelling club season, where Chhetri’s club Bengaluru FC played every single match possible (33).
After a three-week break at the end of the Super Cup, the 38-year-old striker joined up with the national team in Bhubaneswar.
“Not very often that the national team gets this much time [together]. Contrary to the belief that we don’t get enough rest after our commitments, the general mood in the camp is we are happy. We are looking forward to the next month,” said Chhetri.
In these demanding circumstances, Chhetri welcomed the appointment of the sports psychologist to the national team, stating the players are ‘liking it’.
“Early feedback is that the players are opening up. It’s not easy to go again after a short break at the end of a long season. Everyone is liking it and is intrigued by it,” he stated.
Chhetri is now relishing the challenge of playing nine matches in 24 days – if India reaches the finals of the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Cup, starting June 21.
“Games are important. Rest between games is, of course, important. At the end of the day, more matches are good for the team. When playing for our respective clubs, the way we play and operate is different.
The team components are different with the foreigner rule, which is very integral to club football. In the national team, more games will help us acclimatise to each other’s talent. So that is why we say more games are important for us.
The training and the matches give them an optimum chance of understanding each other and working hard to minimise mistakes. We now know who are the teams we are facing and any half a mistake will prove costly,” said Chhetri.
Chhetri is keeping in mind the Asian Cup group stage opponents Australia, Syria and Uzbekistan, who are all stronger and ranked higher in the FIFA rankings than the Blue Tigers.
Get Set Go: The Indian football team is gearing up for the Intercontinental Cup set to begin in Bhubaneswar next month. | Photo Credit: The Hindu / Ritu Raj Konwar
In the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Cup, Lebanon (ranked 99) will be the only higher-ranked team than India but will also come up against opponents who have historically provided banana-skin situations for the national team.
To minimise mistakes at the Asian Cup, Chhetri feels sooner the head coach Igor Stimac narrows down on his starting XI and who his 14 are, the better it is for the team.
“Who they are is not my headache, but we have to give the headache to the coach. As soon as he realises, it’s better for the coach, which is my opinion. It’s better for the understanding of the team such as who is marking on set pieces and knowing who has what strengths on the pitch. We have to make sure we knock on all the doors and give the coach the right headache,” he said.
Expectations from India’s next star forward: Sivasakthi
One player who Chhetri knows will ‘knock on the right doors’ is his club teammate and striker Sivasakthi Narayanan, who was left out of the squad after the training camp earlier this month.
“The coach loves him and feels he can provide us with a different dimension. I will be surprised if he is not in the mix of things in the next six months,” said Chhetri.
With the forward positions often dominated by overseas players in the Indian Super League (ISL), there have been concerns over whether the Indians can challenge them and go on to fulfil their potential.
Siting a recent example involving himself from the season, Chhetri said, “BFC is a top side. Roy [Krishna] sat out two games and I sat out six games but in all those eight games, Sivasakthi started.
Now, who would have thought that? I know it’s an anomaly that doesn’t happen now and then. It’s a testimony to how well you perform and then the club will not see if you are a foreign national or a Sunil Chhetri or whoever.
“The clubs need to show confidence in these players. The goals will come only if you play. People like Sivasakthi getting all the games is not a normal situation in the ISL.
Whoever plays will have to work a little bit harder because they are competing with foreigners. It’s not only in ISL, it used to be the case in the I-League days as well when you used to fight with foreigners for the No. 9 and No. 10 positions.
The trust coming from clubs helps. That’s why I welcome the decision that foreigners are not allowed in lower leagues. But in the ISL, it’s a fight.”
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