These are not experiments, the 23 players we have are the best in the country- Igor Stimac

The Croatian remained upbeat despite his team's second straight defeat in the tournament.

The Indian national team succumbed to yet another defeat against DPR Korea, as Igor Stimac's men lost 2-5 in their second match in the Intercontinental Cup. The loss puts India in a tight position in the the tournament, as the Blue Tigers are still without a win in the competition they host.

Speaking about the positives from the game Igor Stimac did not shy away from criticizing his players first. But then, he also lauded the fight back of the team for coming up with a second half recovery, that saw Lallianzuala Chhangte and Sunil Chhetri reducing the deficit.

Watch: Igor Stimac full post match press conference after game against DPR Korea

"Obviously with the second half, when we came out with our heads held high. Which was totally different from the first half, where we played without courage and self-confidence. I gave these players the chance and told them to enjoy and if you do not have enough courage and you don't show up and fight you cannot do well. But then, the second half happened totally opposite story and that's what I am proud of. Because when you go 0-3 down its difficult to fight back," he quipped.

The national team boss criticized the first half performance from his players and also spoke about the alarming problems in the backline. Sandesh Jhingan who started the game was subbed off in the first 45 after he picked up an injury. The injury rules out the seasoned defender for the Blue Tigers from the next game, which will force Stimac to go back to the drawing board again to find a way to plug the gap in defence.

Speaking about the squad, the Croatian remained tight-lipped and did not name anyone, but the tactician seemed confident with his options with the World Cup Qualifiers inching closer.

The biggest blow in the game was probably Sandesh Jhingan's injury and Stimac took all the blame of making a hasty decision and following his heart. He said, "I feel sorry for Sandesh. He wanted to play and was sure he is 100%. I saved him from the first game because I have experience of these injuries. But, his heart was bigger than his health and I take full responsibility for this. Now, we may miss him for three-five weeks".

The tactician also spoke about Ashique Kuruniyan and how vital his exclusion from the national team has been. "I miss Ashique (Kuruniyan) a lot. We need pace on both wings," he added.

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Stimac highlighted how giving minutes to players was important to build a squad for the World Cup Qualifiers. However, he feels that the team is dependent on certain players to perform, which needs to change in due course of time. The head coach also highlighted how players are different in training than on the pitch. "Some players are like Maradona in training pitch and when the games come they disappear," he added.

Speaking about India's chances in the tournament going into the match against Syria, Stimac quipped, "These are not experiments. The 23 players we have are the best in the country and playing them is not experimenting. It means training and educating them for the qualifiers which is important for now," he concluded.