We are on our way to become a strong force in Asia- Igor Stimac

The Croatian spoke about the game plan for the tournament, upcoming World Cup Qualifiers and the overall development of football in the country.

The air around EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad is filled with excitement as the Hero Intercontinental Cup is back for a second time. Defending champions India are all set to lock horns with Tajikistan in their opening game on Sunday, as the Blue Tigers look forward to their first trophy under new head coach Igor Stimac.

The Croatian’s debut tournament, the King’s Cup, saw a new-look India defeat hosts Thailand 0-1, with Anirudh Thapa scoring the winner. It was a tournament that saw several young players being provided the opportunity to showcase their talent and they did so in a fashionable way.

Taking forward the positives from Thailand, Stimac announced a similar squad for the Intercontinental Cup, as the fans look forward to another commendable victory. Ahead of the showdown on Sunday, the tactician appeared before the media to discuss about the chances of the side, strategic game plan, the World Cup Qualifiers and more.

Welcoming the other participating sides - Tajikistan, DPR Korea and Syria, Stimac began the conference speaking about the training camp in Mumbai. 

Watch: Indian football team's final training session ahead of Hero Intercontinental Cup

“It was difficult because we had around 17 training sessions in 10 days and we have trained very hard in Mumbai. I must say I am very proud of the team, how they have done it and executed the working plan.” We are on our way to become a strong force in Asia, once again,” he quoted.

Speaking about the chances of the Blue Tigers retaining the title, especially ahead of the likes of Syria, the 51-year-old said, “We are not thinking about it at the moment. We are rather focusing on how to progress in our games and how to advance in certain areas with a larger focus on improving ahead of the qualifiers later this year.”

“I would love to see many people watching us in the stadium, supporting the Indian team because the players deserve it. We are a new team and we have lots of young players here.”

Adding to his stance Stimac said, “In no way I will put any pressure on my players with regards to the results in this tournament. I would rather watch how my players are advancing in their game. For instance, reacting to the second ball and winning it, playing short passes, move well and making those runs behind the defenders.”

Speaking with a holistic view of the situation of Indian football the Croatian stated, “It is a long process. It is not just about the coach and the players, but about changing a few things between the AIFF, the ISL and the I-League.”

“It is about starting to work on the youth leagues, about improving infrastructure. It is also about the number of games we play during the course of a year. There are lot of points to be discussed, but there is only one main point behind all that is ‘improvement of football’ in the nation.”

Moreover, the new head coach also spoke about the need for the country to make amendments to its rules regarding the passports of Indian-origin players, playing in foreign leagues.

“If every other country is allowing the players to have a second passport and play for their country of origin, why shouldn’t we do that? It could help us.”

When asked about his views on the World Cup Qualifiers Stimac said, “Football is a very beautiful game and it can surprise all of us. I am not promising anything yet, but I wish that we become one of the nicest surprises in the following qualifiers.”

Watch Full press conference here

Furthermore, Sandesh Jhingan who also accompanied the coach at the conference went on to express his opinion on the quality of the team saying, “I always think that good development at the grassroots level will help the national team at some point of time.”

“We saw that in the King’s Cup last month, how Anirudh Thapa scored the winner against Thailand. It is really good to have such young players coming up every year.”

Related: Igor Stimac's style of play is built on passing the ball and creating chances- Brandon Fernandes

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The 25-year-old also dismissed any concerns about his injury, as had appeared when he arrived at the airport earlier on Saturday.

In the end, Stimac had a message for the fans out there saying, “For everyone who has India in their hearts and everyone who cares about what the country can become in the future, we need your help, we need your support. We need you to stay positive behind us and be loyal. We are one of the youngest teams in the world and such a young team requires your support from the stands.”