"I’m satisfied with boys..." Naushad Moosa opens up on India U23's growth trajectory

Naushad Moosa’s India U23 football team will face Thailand U23 on Saturday.

The November FIFA International Window brings the India U23 football team back into action, as they face Thailand U23s in a friendly match at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, on Saturday, November 15, 2025. The game will kick off at 15:30 IST.

The Blue Colts camped in Kolkata from November 7, before flying to Thailand on November 13 for the friendly. Head coach Naushad Moosa has named several newbies in his squad of 23 players.

With as many as 10 new faces in the team, Moosa is looking to use this friendly as an opportunity to widen the pool of players at the U23 level.

“I found them really good” – Naushad Moosa

Head coach Naushad Moosa said, “We’ve got a few days’ camp, and that was important, especially because we’ve got 10 new players on the team, many of them young. Right now, we need to understand their mentality and overall approach.

“I found them really good. They’ve been performing well and executing whatever we planned,” said Moosa. “I’m satisfied with how the boys are picking up things. We need to develop a pool of 50-60 players over the next few years.”

To further develop the team for the future, Moosa revealed his plans to provide opportunities to several players in Thailand.

Also Read: India U23 Rival Watch: Thailand U23

“Whenever we play friendlies, I try to give everyone equal playing time, so they may perform and prove themselves. We need to start strong and see how things go from there. I also have three goalkeepers, and I want to give sufficient time to each,” said Moosa.

Thailand’s U23 team finished third in the ASEAN U23 Championship held in Indonesia earlier this year, and are preparing for next year’s SEA Games and AFC U23 Asian Cup.

“We have seen a few of their matches, and they will be a difficult prospect to deal with. We have to be quick and alert throughout the game, and we’ve trained likewise,” said Moosa.

India U23 prepares for the Asian Games

The AIFF has taken responsibility for preparing the India U23s for the Asian Games, set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, next year, and to that extent, has been arranging for friendly matches for the Blue Colts during every FIFA International window.

In the October window, the Blue Colts played two friendly matches against Indonesia U23s, winning the first match 2-1 and drawing the second 1-1.

“These friendlies are helping a lot. We’re getting good matches. Indonesia were a strong team, and we had many new players there as well. These camps help us understand the players’ mentality and how much they can give,” said Moosa. “The players also understand how important this phase is for Indian football, and how crucial these results could prove to be.

“When we started, they were not really sure how things would go. But now, when I see them training, their body language shows their confidence. The spirit is what we want – to face any team without fear and fight,” he said.

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