We will give everything to win the Tri-Nation tournament: Stimac

The Indian senior men’s team will be back in action on home soil after nine months in the Tri-Nation football tournament from March 22
We will give everything to win the Tri-Nation tournament: Stimac

New Delhi : The Indian senior men’s team will be back in action on home soil after nine months in the Tri-Nation football tournament from March 22 and head coach Igor Stimac has asserted that his side will do everything to win it.

Imphal will welcome the Blue Tigers (106 in FIFA Rankings) for the first time, and the tournament will also feature Myanmar (159 in FIFA Rankings) and the Kyrgyz Republic (94 in FIFA Rankings).

Stimac emerged in the Indian football scene a few months after the country played the 2019 AFC Asian Cup final rounds. He has succeeded in leading the team to another Asian Cup qualification but he is not satisfied with it.

“No, it does not. That’s only the first step in what we’re trying to achieve. When I joined, the main goal was to reconstruct the team, to play a different type of football, and to win the hearts of the Indian people with the style of play. I would say that we were quite successful in that, having in mind that our work was disrupted by the pandemic for almost two years. We didn’t have a chance to play any home games. There were no friendlies and no qualifiers,” Stimac told aiff.com in the national camp in Kolkata.

“Last year in Kolkata, we played three beautiful games where we proved to everyone that when we get proper time to work, we can achieve better and play good football. But it’s the second step that is the most challenging one. We are well aware that we’re going to face the continent’s best teams in the 2023 Asian Cup. And to do well in such a competition, we need to organise ourselves in a different way, with different styles of football and maintain verticality in our game,” he added.

In another two months, the 55-year old will complete four years as India’s head coach and he feels it has been a difficult journey considering the huge expectations from the team.

“It has been a difficult journey. I say that because the expectations are huge in India. It’s wonderful to have dreams. There is no life without dreaming about achieving things. And to succeed, time is precious. You can count on fulfilling your dreams if you are provided time to work. I just hope that the next eight or nine months will serve us well to prepare for the Asian Cup,” the coach said.

“The calendar for the next season is going to be difficult. We want to utilise the September, October and November international windows well, and I hope all stakeholders of Indian Football get involved and help the national team,” he added.

The 2023 Asian Cup is only 10 months away from the 2023 Asian Cup but Stimac feels that the team is not yet completely ready for the tournament. IANS

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