India has improved immensely - Nepal head coach Koji Gyotoku

The Japanese coach also revealed that the Indian team is superior to his outfit ....

Ahead of tomorrow’s friendly match between India and Nepal, visiting head coach Koji Gyotoku said in a press conference that he feels the match against India might be a lot difficult for the Gorkhalis considering India’s recent jump to the top 100 in the FIFA Rankings.

The match tomorrow is meant to be a preparation for both the teams for their upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers next week. While India had defeated Myanmar in the opening game and top their group, Nepal failed to win their first match of the qualifiers against the Philippines and sit bottom of their group.

“This is also a very important match for us,” said the Japanese coach in the press conference in Mumbai today. “This is a chance for us to get a result, get confidence,” he added..

The match will be the first match for the Indian squad since the latest FIFA rankings were published, which put them in the top 100 for the first time in almost three decades.

Gyotoku was asked about his confidence of defeating India tomorrow when he answered, “I think this is a very difficult match for us.” The Japanese pointed to India’s latest jump in the FIFA rankings which put India in the top 100 and said, “we are 169.”

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Under manager Stephen Constantine, the Indian squad’s performance chart has only gone upwards and this is reflected not only in the rankings but also in the fact that the Blue Tigers have won their last six games.

“In the last two or three years, the Indian team has improved so much,” said the Nepal head coach before adding, “but we will try to do the best.”

Gyotoku was also asked about his objective for the match against India, “We need to get something from tomorrow’s match. Of course, we will try to win but we will need to get something.”

The Japanese coach did not look very promising while talking about the Nepali players. “They are learning, but physically and tactically, the Indian team is better.”

However, he also praised the his players’ dedication to play and learn the game. “There was a big earthquake two or three years ago. Even now we can’t play in the National Stadium as it is broken, we have to go outside to play. But, the players, play well, think and learn from me and JFA (Japan Football Association) also,” he concluded.

Nepal Skipper Biraj Maharjan Said "India has improved a lot and we are close onlookers of Indian football. We can learn so many things from them ."

"We have always respected India as opponents and it will be a test for us tomorrow. We hope to give India a tough fight," he added before signing off.