It is more important to play competitive matches as training matches have no consequences, admits Bibiano Fernandes

The India U-17 head coach lauded the opposition's quality and praised his boys' spirit.

India's campaign at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup came to a crushing end as they were handed an 8-4 defeat by the defending champions Japan in the last round of group stage fixtures. Bibiano Fernandes' Blue Colts conceded three goals in the first half before conceding another five in the second half.

They showed glimpses of hope and even scored four goals in the process. There are a lot of things to improve, but the boys can surely be proud of the fighting spirit that they’ve inherited under Bibiano Fernandes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsAg4EuQzRQ

After the game, India’s head coach addressed the media for the last time in the tournament.

Thoughts on the game

The head coach began by sharing his thoughts on the game he said that his side started off well but Japan are so good that they overpowered India’s plans.

“We knew the quality of our opponents. They are the defending champions. We had a plan but sometimes it is so difficult to play against this kind of quality. Although we started well. We were defending well and I thought in the first half it was more or less a 50-50 game. But Japan’s quality is so good that they got the goals. 

He further went on to praise his boys for their fighting spirit and said that he is proud of his team. “In the second half the boys showed character and we are happy that they pushed for goals. We had decided to win the second half. The Boys gave their best and we are proud of them. We will take the lessons and learnings back home and share with the young boys and come back stronger next time,” he asserted.

Two contrasting halves

It was a game of two contrasting halves for India. The Blue Colts looked clueless in attack in the first half but came back with some fresh energy in the second half. Speaking on the same, Bibiano Fernandes said that the first half plans did not work out as Japan were too good on the pitch. But, in the second half the plan worked out a bit.

“Yes we had a plan in the first half about how we can stop Japan, especially in the midfield. But as I said, they overpowered our plan with their quality. In the second half, we tried to push more at the defenders and it worked a little bit for us. The boys showed good character after going 3-0 down in the first half. In the end, it is positive for us and we move forward taking all the learnings for us,” he said.

Need for more competitive matches

The Blue Colts started to believe after they scored the first goal early in the second half. Speaking about it, the head coach said that the first goal gave his boys more confidence and belief to go on and challenge Japan.

“Of course the early goal gave our boys more confidence and belief. That is why it is more important to play competitive matches because in training matches there are no consequences. In tournaments and competitions there are consequences. So it gave us more confidence that we can press and score against Japan.”

Half-time team talk

When asked what was said at half-time because the team’s body language and hunger changed completely. The change was so significant that it wasn’t seen in the first two matches. Bibiano replied, “We first talked about the things that we had in our hands. We thought about what we can do in the next 45 minutes and try to win the second half. That’s what we decided in the dressing room and the boys were ready to look forward to the second half,”

Positive impacts of exposure tours

The head coach also shared his views on how the exposure tours should be arranged in the build up to the tournament. He said that friendlies with top clubs alongside a few international tournaments should be organised before such major tournaments.

“The exposure helps a lot. The quality matches that we played in Spain and Germany helps. But if we can mix it up with a tournament where there are consequences like a red card. In training matches there are no consequences. So, keeping that in mind always helps in playing competitions,” he said.

More matches for the Blue Colts

Before signing off, the head coach was asked if a new model consisting of a U-17 league should be introduced in the country in order to help the players develop more. He replied, “More number of games are better for our boys because the game inside and playing under pressure only comes by playing more games. So, we have to work on it. There is talent in India and if we work on it we will see a better than this in the next Asian Cup,” and he signed off.