Maymol Rocky: An uphill task to beat Vietnam

The coach is wary of the fact that Vietnam (34) are a much higher-ranked side than India (58).

Indian Women’s Team head coach Maymol Rocky sounded confident on the eve of their first International Friendly against Vietnam, stating that the preparatory camp in New Delhi helped the players get ready for the upcoming challenge as the team prepared itself amidst a tumultuous downpour in Hanoi, Vietnam.

India are set to take on Vietnam in the first of two FIFA International Friendlies in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

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“Vietnam are obviously a strong side, they are much higher ranked than us, so it is a bit of an uphill task for us,” she said.

However, she believes that it will be down to how the two teams will perform on a particular day, that will decide the result of the match.

“But football is not a game that is played on paper. It is played on the pitch, where the two sets of 11 players start on equal terms. So we are here to play our own game against them, and we are ready for the fight,” she continued.

Rocky and her charges spent a week in Delhi for a training camp ahead of the upcoming encounters.

“The team has been really preparing well for the two matches coming up against Vietnam. We have had a good camp in New Delhi to gear ourselves up for the Vietnam games and that has really helped us put the girls back in shape for international football,” said Rocky.

 The team had arrived in the Vietnamese capital three days prior to the match and the players have already taken to the local climate, while the city is experiencing a torrential downpour at the moment.

“We’ve been here for a few days and acclimatising should not be that great factor", Rocky quipped.

The likes of Karthika Angamuthu, Sumithra Kamraj and W Linthoingambi Devi are the three new faces in the current Indian squad of 23, and Maymol Rocky believes that they are a sign of the talent pool that is currently present in the country, and how competitive it has become to get spots in the National squad.

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“We have some new players this time round in our squad this time. They have proved their mettle with their performances in domestic tournaments, and have worked hard in the national camp to make it to the final squad of 23. This just goes on to speak about the talent that we have in our country, and the level of competition for the National Team,” she said.

“These are great opportunities to learn for all the players to learn from and improve themselves ahead of the big task ahead. For now, we are focused on the Vietnam game, and will give them a good fight,” she further said.

India are set to take on Vietnam at 3 pm IST on Sunday, November 3, 2019.