India are confident ahead of final, says Shanmugam Venkatesh

The Blue Tigers will lock horns with Nepal in the SAFF Championship showpiece on October 16.

After a massive 3-1 win against the Maldives on October 13, the Indian football team will now face Nepal in the SAFF Championship 2021 final. This fixture will take place once again at the Maldives National Football Stadium on Saturday. It will also be the fourth meeting between the two sides this year - they met twice in the friendlies last month and twice here, at this prestigious competition. Since their first two matches, India are on a two-game winning streak at the SAFF Championship 2021, while the Gorkhalis have had a win and a draw since their initial consecutive wins.

Ahead of this crucial final, Indian assistant coach Shanmugam Venkatesh and midfielder Lalengmawia spoke at the pre-match press conference:

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Mentality towards final

First up, Shanmugam Venkatesh shared his thoughts on the campaign so far and his side's preparations for the final against Nepal. "We are very happy to reach the final. Just one more game and the boys are very motivated. After beating Nepal and Maldives in the group stages, the entire team is feeling very confident. Of course, Nepal is the most competitive team and we've played three games against them. This is an advantage for both teams," he started off.

He added, "It's going to be a tough game. It's always a motivation for both the teams the play in the final. But, our boys are very well-prepared. As a coach, (I think) our boys deserve to win this tournament. We're not over-confident and we respect the opponent team. They (India) will stick to the plan and our head coach's (Igor Stimac) plan is to enjoy the game."

On India's tournament track record

The 42-year-old was then asked about India's SAFF Championship record and how it would impact them tomorrow. In other words, this is the Blue Tigers' eighth consecutive final and only the first for Nepal. To this, he responded, "As I mentioned, we respect our opponents. It's also a huge change compared to the last two, three or four finals. So, tomorrow is a new game and we are focused on our team."

Regarding India's turnaround

Next up, Shanmugam Venkatesh was quizzed about India's comeback at the tournament and how they went from two points in two games to six from the next two. "Yes, we didn't do well at the end of the first two games. We've learned from those two games and fought back. That's how the team played well in the last two games," he answered; stressing the reasons for such a turnaround.

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Subsequently, he addressed Indian captain Sunil Chhetri's role for the Blue Tigers, "Sunil is very important for us, as a senior player who's heading the attack. For the junior players as well he gives them confidence and guidance. Also, there are other senior players as well. So, everyone's important for the team. Whatever we've done till now; it's all team effort and (has been) achieved together. I'd want to see the same mentality and team spirit in the final as well."

Mood in Indian camp

Indian international and Mumbai City midfielder Lalengmawia spoke about the mood in the Indian camp; whether and how it had transitioned from the initial couple of games.

"After losing the first two matches, it was quite difficult and our mood was down. Everyone was upset because we knew we could have done better. But after those two matches, we learnt from our mistakes. Now, we're working on what we could've done better; with the coaches and the supporting staff. Now, everyone is very happy and motivated to play the final. We're going to give everything to win this Championship," he said.

India as South Asian football "powerhouse"

Coming back to Shanmugam Venkatesh, the assistant coach was questioned on India's status in South Asian football. That is, regarding their struggles at this edition of the SAFF Championship and how and why it had occurred. The tactician replied, "Yes, this is the first time that I've seen a lot of differences from the other teams. especially Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. They've really improved a lot compared to five years back.

"I'm especially impressed with Nepal and Sri Lanka. In our team, we've taken several young players which is a positive for us. We've shown that we have more (quality) players in the future;" emphasizing the changes in South Asian football of late.

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Weather conditions & impact

Venkatesh was then asked about the weather conditions in Male and whether that posted any sort of threats, such as sea-sickness and the like for the Indian side. He answered, "Yes. when we returned from the training session in the morning, the weather conditions were really bad. Some of the players were vomiting when we went back to the hotel. That's an issue;" thereby highlighting Male's overcast conditions of late.

Updates on squad

Lastly, the assistant coach shed some light on the squad's current status along with addressing a few specifics. He expressed, "We'll be missing Brandon Fernandes (due to the injury) and Subhasish Bose (due to the red card against Maldives). Both these players had a huge contribution to the team. We're still preparing our team after consulting our medical staff; who're playing a crucial role. We've played four matches in the last 12 days which isn't easy. So, yes, we'll prepare our team after we get the reports from our medical staff.

"I want the team to go with a winning mentality. As a coach, I also want to see the players enjoy this wonderful final and I'd also like to thank the Indian fans for their support and motivation, which has been of great help for the players," Shanmugam Venkatesh concluded.

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