We want the team to be on their toes always, says Mahesh Gawli

The Blue Tigers maintained their winning and clean sheet streak despite Igor Stimac’s absence.

India prevailed over Nepal in a 2-0 victory at the Sree Kanteerava on Saturday in the SAFF Championship 2023. Igor Stimac had been suspended in the previous match as he was shown red for disrupting a Pakistani player deliberately. His substitute Mahesh Gawli, however, did not let the team feel his absence as they worked collectively. 

Vincenzo Annese’s side put up a decent fight and their reluctance to embark on the offence caused India problems in breaking them down. However their attacking mentality in the second half led to the first goal as the defence was left barren. Needless to say, Sunil Chhetri opened the scoring right past the hour mark as he turned in Mahesh Singh’s cross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXE31wmZDLQ

Nine minutes later the midfielder turned in a loose aerial ball into the goal after a conundrum in front of the goal. India ended the match with three points, two goals and a clean sheet neatly in their bag. Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli attended the post-match press conference and shared his thoughts with the media in Stimac’s stead.

On starting off slow but getting revitalised midway after substitutions 

India showed promise in the first half but barely got enough chances. The game became more open in the second half as the Blue Tigers scored twice through Chhetri and Mahesh Singh. Additionally, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Jeakson Singh came on to contribute more control and energy to the game. Commenting on the same the mentor noted,

“I think in the first half, Nepal did not give us the chance to play. They were very tough (to break down) and extremely strong (in defense). In the second half, we kept the ball in a cool and calm manner. It was not particularly because of (Lallianzuala) Chhangte and Rahim (Ali) and whoever else came on because, frankly, we were already 2-0 up by then. 

We want to develop Indian football so we encourage the boys to not fall back. Whether we are scoring or not, we want them to be on their toes and keep the intensity of the game.”

On Naorem Mahesh Singh

Mahesh Singh put up a brilliant show as he ran the proceedings with his goal and assist. He got on the scoresheet after setting up Sunil Chhetri to grant India a definite lead. The assistant coach was highly impressed by the youngster as he chipped in:

“(He’s an)excellent talent and a future star for Indian football. A very quality (player), and  passionate (person). I think he’ll become a very good player in the future.”

On where the match was won

Despite a resounding victory, the game could have gone anyway as per India and Nepal’s first-half performance. But football, like anything else, is all about fine margins. Interim manager Gawli, reported his findings as he said:

“It took time for us in the second half to get the confidence back. I think Mahesh’s cross was the turning point. Because after Chhetri’s finish, we dominated the game. Then again Sahal was also instructed to release the ball sooner and not give it away so cheaply by dribbling excessively. He did exactly that in the second half. I think the back four will need some more tinkering and combinations. Obviously, they improved after scoring but that’s what confidence is. We missed our coach a lot but of course, next match he will be there.” 

On what went on in the dressing room at half-time

India was held back by Nepal for the entirety of the first half. But after half-time, both sides switched up and Gawli’s side seemed to make the best out of their opportunities. Speaking on the mentality in the dressing room and what he told the men, Gawli responded,

“Nothing; we told them to be calm and not make errors. They followed the instructions down to the T as they did not commit a single error, did not give the ball away and maintained possession. In turn, that gave us confidence. So, nothing special in that aspect. But we are definitely happy with the clean sheet and we would want to continue the 8-match streak we have. I think the players are very talented. You can see the football that they’re playing and the kind of confidence they have. So I think we’re moving forward and not backward.”

On making eight changes to the starting lineup from the last game

India made a whopping eight changes to the player lineup as only Anirudh Thapa, Sahal, and Sunil Chhetri remained. On being asked whether there was any other motive behind these swaps, the coach replied:

“No it is not like that. We just wanted fresh legs. There were some players who appeared continuously, in four or five matches over a span of 12 days. So we just needed a fresh set of players and help the fatigued ones rest. Chhetri was kept because obviously he’s the captain and he’s a legend. But more importantly he refused to take rest despite us asking him to.” 

On Kuwait and the upcoming game

Kuwait inflicted the same 4-0 thrashing on Pakistan in the other group-stage game. India must stay wary of their closest and toughest competitors if they are to win this trophy. Gawli replied in equivocal tone:

“We will have a plan in place for the next game. It’s not yet decided as to whether we will rest players or field the same ones. So all I can say now is we’ll see.”