Dubai : Indian football team would play against Oman and UAE on 25th March and 29th March respectively, coach Igor Stimac has been confident on his young team. The Blue Tigers would play after a year due to the worldwide pandemic which has still been threatening the world.
The maximum players who went to Dubai for this match they have had a good ISL seven season for their clubs. This two friendlies have been tipped as the preparation to 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2023 Asia Cup.
“We need to come to the pitch without any fear, we need to try to make our transitions properly, and we need to try and enjoy the possession that we have. That’s what I want to ask of my players,” said coach Stimach\.
“As part of our footballing philosophy, we do not look for easy opponents. We can improve only by playing against better sides. Immediately after we found out [that the World Cup Qualifiers were postponed to June], we were able to confirm two friendlies against Oman and UAE,” he further added.
“A conglomeration of different factors [went into deciding the squad]. Most of the players made it to the squad on merit. But there are a few who have also proved themselves on the international stage. A few poor performances should not erase them from the squad,” said the Croatian coach on the team selection which has been a mixture of youngsters and experienced players.
Captain Sunil Chhetri would miss this two friendlies as he has been suffering Covid-19, so when asked about him coach Stimac said, “When you watch Sunil this season, you can see that he has improved, even though Bengaluru FC did not play as well. His individual numbers show that.”
He further added, “It is important for youngsters to develop that knowledge when they are with him. I hope he stays motivated, because there’s still space left to improve, and there’s a lot left in him.”
