We'll try to create more scoring opportunities, says Igor Stimac before Uzbekistan clash in AFC Asian Cup 2023

India head coach Igor Stimac also shared his insights about Uzbekistan’s strengths.

India will be hoping to bounce back strongly from the defeat to Australia in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 when they face off against Uzbekistan in their second group game on Thursday (January 18).

Stimac’s thoughts on Uzbekistan clash

Igor Stimac feels that his players are ready for the clash against Uzbekistan as he said before the game: “It’s a huge game for us again. The first one against Australia was a fantastic experience for our players which I hope will serve us in the future. This will be another difficult game for us.”

He added, “Uzbekistan are a terrific side, their recent performance showed the kind of side they have. We can expect pressure from them from the very first minute and we need to find a way to handle that. Our boys are ready for the challenge in front of us and are excited about the game.”

All about Uzbekistan’s strengths

Stimac also listed down the strengths of the White Wolves and warned his side not to go in for a physical battle. The Croatian mentor explained: “Uzbekistan are a team which is very technically adept. They have players playing in the best tiers in Europe, Russia, France, and Greece. They have players with experience and also youth and energy. We need to know how compact we need to be, how vocal we need to be and how to reach the final third and when the chances arise, be effective there.”

“Uzbekistan absolutely dominated the game against Syria. They had clear chances and 16 shots on goal, but Syria are a difficult side that played with tight lines and looked for every opportunity to counter-attack. This will be a different game. Looking at the side from the physical angle, we need to escape the contact game which is allowed here. The referees are letting tackles to fly and free play to go on, there are not many bookings, normally many situations where there are fouls are not being given. Our passes need to be quicker and our movement must be clearer. If we go into too many tackles, we won’t be well after that,” he added.

Ishan Pandita’s role and injury situation

When asked if Ishan Pandita can be expected to play bigger roles in matches going forward, Igor Stimac explained: “He is one of the boys who we believe can be there for us when Sunil is injured or absent. Chhetri is the only one who can play as a centre-forward.

“We need to be patient with Pandita and make him believe that he will have a chance when Sunil steps down. It’s not good to expect to see Pandita start the game without having played many games. He is someone who can smell the opportunities after coming off the bench and he can help us get goals against Uzbekistan,” he added.

Sahal Abdul Samad injury update

Stimac also confirmed that Sahal Abdul Samad is still injured and that India faced some issues in the Australia game too. He mentioned: “Sahal is still not ready. We have a couple of players with certain problems from the Australia game. Changes will be there. Changes are coming.”

Finishing issues

The Croatian coach insisted that his team keeps on working on finishing off chances, but that players need more practice in playing around the attacking areas for their clubs.

He explained: “We work on finishing every day when we are together. We can count how many days I spend with the players together, how many games they play in the forward areas in the league and how many chances they get in attacking areas in the league – which is far below what we want. Football is about practice and repeating things in how you practice. Our boys need more hunger to improve every day on a daily basis or else we won’t go anywhere.”

Also Read: India vs Uzbekistan: Preview, Team News, Predicted Lineups & Prediction of AFC Asian Cup 2023 clash

Praise for the performance against Australia

Igor Stimac was proud of his side for not allowing Australia to play to their biggest strengths. He said: “While we are at this stage, with the level of our football, we can only play as much as our opponents like Australia allow us to play. Australian players play in England, Italy and Scotland. They have vast experiences of playing in the World Cup and big games. We could only play as much as we were allowed to against Australia.”

He added, “We used our brains in a good way, we were unlucky to concede silly goals. The only good thing is that we stopped Australia from playing to their biggest strength which is stopping them from reacting to crosses and moving through the wings. We probably had the best scoring chance in the first half, which we couldn’t take. If that was a goal, who knows? But when there is a huge difference in quality between the teams, the opponent will obviously have more chances and give us fewer chances to threaten their box.”

Stimac’s big praise for Indian fans

Igor Stimac had a lot of praise for the way the Indian fans turned up for the previous game and how the Kerala-based supporters have made their presence felt.

He claimed: “Recently when we played at Kuwait, in the opening game of the World Cup Qualifiers, there was a huge Indian crowd in that game. That was a key point we won that game.

“More than our performance or self-belief, they pushed us throughout 100 minutes and that was a perfect game. We didn’t allow them (Kuwait) a single shot on goal and controlled the game from the first to the final minute. I appreciate the huge support. We are in touch with our fanbase here. We know how passionate the Kerala supporters are and how it is in Kerala. The kick-off time is more convenient for them to attend the game. Huge thanks to the fans for their support,” he added.

Will India play for one or three points against Uzbekistan?

Finally, when asked about what will be India’s mindset for the game – be it a defensive approach to get a point or win the game, Stimac said: “Mindset is to win. It is something we’ve been working on from the very first day of our work – that is always winning. It’s all open. As we saw in the Oman vs Saudi Arabia game, Oman created great momentum and were a few minutes away from a fantastic win but finished with nothing in the end. Our boys are ready and excited for the game and will try to have many more scoring opportunities than we had in the first game.”

Amrinder Singh’s comments

Amrinder Singh, who accompanied Igor Stimac to the pre-match press conference, opened up on the importance of the game and how he feels about potentially replacing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in it. He asserted: “It’s a big game for India. The players are ready for tomorrow and we all know what they did against Syria.  

“Me and Gurpreet rotate at times and I try to give my best whenever we play. It’s important that me and him stick together and keep improving. It’s better for our nation if we push each other and if we can do well together.”

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