Experienced Croatian duo join India national team's backroom staff

The duo will perform the roles of fitness and goalkeeping coach respectively.

Just a week after starting his work with the Indian national team, Igor Stimac is leaving no stones unturned in giving the Blue Tigers the best possible training regime. After persisting in his debut press conference on how he’ll want his side to play the best possible, attacking football, he’s making sure their fitness levels are at the peak.

Stimac has brought in strength and conditioning coach Luka Radnan to help improve the general fitness of his side. Under Stephen Constantine, the Blue Tigers often lost their steam during games, resulting in constant injuries or underperforming nature from multiple players. However, the 47-year-old coach wants his team to be the fittest, which allows them to keep up a peak performance-level and never crumble under heavy pressure.

Watch: Igor Stimac and Isac Doru's first press conference in the country

Radnan has worked as part of the Croatian national football team’s staff when they won the Bronze Medal in the 1998 FIFA World Cup by finishing third. He was also the coach for Croatia’s basketball team when they won the silver medal in the 1992 Olympics. A highly experienced candidate, his role will be to keep the players' fatigue-free and make sure injuries don’t become a regular thing.

Stimac spoke to the Times of India about adding Radnan to his staff saying, “The fitness trainer (Radnan) is among the most experienced fitness coaches from Europe and helping us. He is full of experience and exactly who we need here. He is the one who will help organize all work which is needed when the players are not at their clubs. The players are already enjoying his exercises.”

Watch: Indian football team trains under Igor Stimac

The fitness coach will be the reason for improving the general training regime of players, helping them become fitter and slowly attain fitness levels of other Asian giants. Moreover, Stimac has also called upon one more of his trusted coaches and brought in former Croatian national team’s goalkeeper coach Tomislav Rogic to join him. The experienced candidate has also worked as the goalkeeper coach of Club Brugge, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Shakhtar Donetsk in the past.

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He will be responsible for overseeing the growth of the likes of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who was among India’s more impressive players in the AFC Asian Cup. Rogic will also be responsible for improving the reserve goalkeepers Amrinder Singh and Kamaljit Singh. With his expertise, the goalkeepers will definitely improve their shot-stopping ability, commanding nature in their area and other traits.

When speaking about his role, Stimac said, “I asked him to come and introduce our goalkeepers to the ways of work which is needed at this stage. I am sure our goalkeepers will enjoy because he is the best goalkeeper’s coach in Europe.” As the Blue Tigers prepare vigorously for the upcoming  King's Cup in Thailand followed by the Intercontinental Cup in July, Stimac is raising their performance-level for a strong showing ahead.