Living very privileged life, don't need added motivation, says Sunil Chhetri

The club captain is impressed by his teammates and is working towards having a strong start to the upcoming season.

Bengaluru FC skipper and Indian footballing hero Sunil Chhetri is all primed for the approaching season. Chhetri, who struggled with form and scored just four times last ISL season, rediscovered his confidence in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers with four goals in three games. Among the all-time highest scorers in international football, he is looking forward to the upcoming season with Bengaluru FC. The Bengaluru FC skipper will soon be in action at Durand Cup 2022. He spoke in an interaction on the club's media day ahead of the start of their season.

The forward gave his thoughts on the new coach and his personal goals amidst preparation for the Durand Cup. Let us take a look at Sunil Chhetri's remarks prior to their departure for the tournament in Kolkata:

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Maintaining fitness in the pre-season and during the season

The third-highest active international goalscorer has a very strict routine which is one of the secrets to his success. Although Sunil Chhetri did not share the nitty-gritties of the same, he said that there have been no changes to it. Speaking about how he maintains his fitness; Chhetri said, “There are no changes. I’m being very rigid. Exactly what works for me now is that I try to eat a lot of what I need and less of what I want.

"I might sound very cliche because I’ve said this a lot of times. But in the last four-five years, whatever changes I’ve brought in my diet and the amount I sleep and the amount of water I drink have been very rigid and monotonous. It’s probably because I’ve found a very sweet spot. So I don’t take chances.

"I know I’m not as young as Suresh (Thangjam) anymore. I don’t have the liberty of taking chances. And I’ve also realised the way you eat is the way you want to perform, the way you’re going to think, and the way you want to behave. It is very very simple. So I try to take care of it a lot.”

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Thoughts on potential pairing & partnership with Roy Krishna

Pairing the lethal former ATKMB frontman Roy Krishna with Sunil Chhetri looks to be a mouth-watering prospect for all Indian football fans. However the skipper downplayed his own involvement and praised his new teammate. 

“I think it’s overhyped - the pairing. It’s not the pairing; it’s just Roy (Krishna). We’re just happy with Roy. I think the other day only me, Suresh, Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu), and Udanta (Singh) were talking - we just got to make sure that this lad is happy because we know what he can give. He’s been outstanding in training. Of course, that is something that we all know; how good he is on the pitch.

"But even off the pitch, he’s trying his best to be a part of the team. He’s making sure that he goes and talks to all the youngsters and he’s very chirpy. (He’s got) so much experience and he doesn’t shy away from voicing his opinion and making sure that everyone is happy around. His knowing the local language really helps.

"We’re just very very happy that he’s here. He has troubled us a lot (for the) last couple of years. So to have him wear our own jersey is a pleasant feeling. We’re gonna sit back and make sure that he’s happy and the rest - we all know what he can do on the pitch.” 

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Teams sending reserve sides to Durand Cup

A lot of the squads from the ISL, participating in the Durand Cup are planning to send their reserve teams. With the extension of the normal league routine, fatigue has become a key factor in determining this. The club and national team captain looked to be all okay with it.

“I don’t have a specific comment on that. Because last year if you remember we sent our not-the-first team kind of a thing and they reached the semi-finals. They gave a really good account of themselves and one of the best things that happened during the tournament was Roshan (Naorem Singh). So I don’t judge any team who wants to send their younger side or B-side because it depends on a lot of factors: when they have started their pre-season, what the players are doing in the off-season.

"We know what we are doing. We got together three weeks back and are fairly fitter than we were at that time. So we just want to go there and put our best foot forward.

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"We do not know yet as to how much the coach wants to train or how many minutes he wants to give each one of us. But the message is clear that every one of us is fighting for a place in the team. We’re a very competitive side which became a bit harder today with Sandesh (Jhingan) coming in. That’s about our club.

"We do hear a little bit from here and there that a few clubs are gonna send their B-teams which is fine. I mean you can’t control what you can’t. We’re thinking about ourselves. The Durand Cup is an important tournament for the club because we haven’t won it. And most important to me because in my 20 years of playing I haven’t won the Durand Cup. So it’s an added motivation.”

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How he maintains his composure to keep himself going

Many legendary players of the game of football have mentioned that 50% of the game is in the player’s head. Upon taking the same question to Sunil Chhetri he explained:

“There are a few factors that help me perform the way I do. Surrounding yourself with the right people is very very important. I’m blessed to have the kind of support that I have. My immediate family, my friends, the club that I play for and everyone around the club. Also very very fortunate to have the kind of fans that I personally have and the club has.

"So a lot of positives that make it a little bit easier to keep yourself motivated. The fact that I love what I do also helps. I’m living a very privileged life to be who I am at this club and also while playing for the country. You don’t need added motivation.

"I also realise that I’m not as young as Roshan or Suresh. So I try my best to keep myself fit in terms of what I do, what I eat and how much I rest. And when you go to training and you have the kind of players that I have in the club to train with; it just becomes a little bit easier. There’s a lot of excitement and buzz around. Normally with the fans but also we ourselves within the team and I’m really looking forward to it. So yeah it is not very difficult when you are in my position to keep yourself motivated.”

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How is he working to regain his scoring form

Although Sunil Chhetri became the highest all-time Indian top scorer in the ISL, he only scored four times last season. He was asked about how he plans to break the hoodoo and Chhetri replied, “Slowly and steadily. That’s the message we have from the coaching staff.

"All of us national team boys - Sandesh, me, Udanta, Suresh, Roshan we enjoyed a one-month break after a very decent outing with the national team. Personally, I took a complete off for 20 days. I enjoyed my vacation and now we’re back. The coaching staff is trying their best to individually cater to everyone and make sure that collectively we come to a certain point. And that is why you might see some of us getting a little bit more time than others. But it is just to make sure that everyone comes to the same page. That’s how we are coping.

"Individually all of us are trying to get as fit as we can as soon as possible and that’s about it. We also do know that it’s the Durand Cup and then the ISL. Then in between, we do have an international window for the ones who are going to be with the national team. Then comes the Super Cup and then the all-important national team games which are a bit further- so we are not thinking about it.

"But we do know that the next 10-11 months are back-to-back games. We know that not only the games but the post-match recovery sessions are very important. So individually it is also very important to take care of ourselves and collectively as a team, we have the knowledge and a lot of knowledgeable people who are gonna help us.”

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