Igor Stimac pleased with India's quality, Remko Bicentini wary of Blue Tigers

The two head coaches faced the media ahead of their first game in the King's Cup on Wednesday.

The excitement for the commencement of the 47th King’s Cup in Thailand can be sensed in the air as the countdown has arrived to one day. Ahead of the fixtures, the four teams- Thailand, Vietnam, India and Curacao have begun to gear up as they prepare to lock horns at the Chang Arena on Wednesday.,

With just over 24 hours remaining for the tournament to kick-off, the coaches of India and Curacao appeared before the media to discuss about the game and their possibilities.

Igor Stimac (India)

“First of all we are really glad to participate in this tournament which has a great tradition,“ began the Croatian. Speaking about the difference between the football back in his home country and India, the coach insisted that it is too early for him to make a judgement as of now.

“All I can say is that I am very excited with the work of my players. The AIFF too is very excited about the new approach we have taken and I hope this long-term project brings us success and will bring India back as a force in Asian football.”

Watch: India's final training session before leaving for Thailand

Further, the 51-year-old smilingly admitted that his side are hoping to face Thailand once again after their famous 4-1 victory at the AFC Asian Cup in January. However he also assured that his team have no bad intentions against the opponents. “Infact, the quicker we face better opponents, it will be better for us. That will help us find out about our strengths. We are really looking forward to this game against Curacao and we know that everyone from their team has finished from great academies in Holland and the Eredivisie clubs. Most of them even play at the highest level and there is no doubt about their individual quality.”

Speaking about the style of play the team is going to adopt the coach said, “Of course, everyone would love to play like Spain and France, but it is not easy. For us, it’s a long long way to arrive at that stage.”

“We need to play that football which will get us results. I have seen some quick passing and movements in my team which is really good. I am saying we are going to try, but how successful we are going to be that’s another thing.”

Moving on to Sunil Chhetri who accompanied Stimac at the conference, the skipper was asked how confident he was ahead the tournament after his sumptuous performance in the AFC Asian Cup. “I think we are more confident because of the way we have trained. What happened in Asian Cup will have no resemblance to this tournament, as we are under a new leadership now and it is really good to train under him and all the other coaching staff.”

“I personally and the whole team are really looking forward to it. We had done something good in the last 3-4 years and are looking forward to doing even better in the coming years.”

“No matter how much we improve, it will always be less for us because we have a long way to go and so we will keep our heads down and try to improve ourselves as a team.”

Related

• Curacao vs India Preview: Blue Tigers embark on era as Chhetri eyes national record

• I expect an open competition in our first match against India- Curacao Head Coach Remko Bicentini

• The King’s Cup and the Intercontinental Cup are of immense importance- Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Remko Bicentini (Curacao)

As for Remko Bicentini, the Dutchman began the conference saying, “I am very delighted and honoured that the team is invited to compete in this programme and we are prepared to face India tomorrow.”

While praising his side with pride, that they have the ‘best players,’ Bicentini also spoke about his opponents and looked wary of their threat. “India is a very good team right now. Having recently appointed a new coach they have also shown great teamwork.”

“However with the new coach arriving, they will be developing a new system and we see it as an opportunity for us and look to overcome them on that basis.”

The 51-year-old also spoke about the Vietnam national team saying, “As for Vietnam, we are surprised by their development. We feel good to have been a part of the tournament alongside the teams from Asia and are excited to face Vietnam or Thailand in the final round.”

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Further, Curacao skipper Cuco Martina, who too was present at the conference expressed his views regarding the tournament and discussed some issues in-depth as well. “The weather here is really hot. It might be a little similar to our country, but it is still different in other ways. I’m afraid this can have an effect on the team’s play, but we are ready for it. We are committed enough and are ready to face India.”

“I didn’t think I was a superstar, but honestly, being able to play together with the team makes me feel honoured. Playing in the King’s Cup, I want to do best for my national team and win the championship,” added the Everton defender.