FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Focus at the moment is on replacing injured players, says coach Stimac

New Delhi [India]: Indian men’s football head coach Igor Stimac said on Friday that the country’s group for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers is extremely challenging, will offer no easy opponents to the Blue Tigers, and the current challenge is to find replacements for key players who have been a part of the starting eleven.

In the not-so-distant past, Indian football fans erupted in euphoria as India triumphed in a thrilling showdown against Kuwait during the SAFF Championship final in July 2023.

The Blue Tigers clashed with Kuwait not once, but twice – the first bout ended in a tense draw, only to culminate in a heart-pounding penalty shootout victory during the finals in the electric atmosphere of Bangalore.

India is slated to play Kuwait in their den in the World Cup Qualifiers next week. If one looks at the statistics, India has emerged victorious against Kuwait on their home turf only once in a friendly match by 3-2 in 2004. However, there is hope that this time, the tides may finally change, and fans could witness results that will be etched into history books.

The anticipation of playing two matches against Kuwait and Qatar in the World Cup qualifier matches is exciting and head coach Igor Stimac has not held back in sharing his views on the upcoming showdown and the preparations with www.the-aiff.com.

On the team’s development before the tough games, Stimac said that the period from November till March will be difficult for the team and they have some key players out of the team due to injuries. But the team is still optimistic of doing well, especially once the important players return.

“We have entered the new phase of our work, and we know it is going to be very hard and difficult on the boys. We are very optimistic about what’s ahead of us. We know that the next few months until March will be very difficult.

We might face some problems during this process. But we are very optimistic then that once the players, who are missing now, are back, we will become solid again and show strength on the pitch, no matter who we play against.

So, the focus at the moment is how to replace those boys who were starting 11 players, such as Ashique Kuruniyan, Anwar Ali and Jeakson Singh (Currently nursing injuries). They were our strength in the latest successes we had. These boys played very good football; they were adding extra value to the whole team,” said Stimac.

“We need to find a way to make a new composition to balance the team which will provide strength, especially at the back because we started conceding some goals, which I did not like lately, although some of the goals came after very poor refereeing decisions.

That is our priority now, but anyway, I am glad to see that the boys are playing regularly in ISL (Indian Super League) and most of them are taking main roles in their teams and playing with lots of responsibility. It is a good and positive thing for the national team,” he added.

On whether he finds the group to be tough, Stimac said that the group featuring Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan is tough.

“Yes, the group is very tough and challenging because we know there will be no easy opponents, and they are the top teams. So apart from that, from the third pot we got by far the best opponents available (Kuwait).

So, the group is tough at the moment, but we need to approach it game by game and prepare for it. And as far as I am concerned and with my experience in football, November to March will be difficult.

To prepare well and to make sure that the national team gets enough time to secure the second spot in the group and qualify – that is our plan,” said Stimac.

Stimac also said that the team is having a camp for four to five days in which they will execute some training sessions and drills ahead of the Kuwait game to be played on November 16.

“We are quite clear about what needs to be done. It is going to be a very difficult and different game, so the boys need to adapt to that as soon as possible. And we are not going to have much time to do so, only one training session prior to the match day.

So, difficulties and challenges will be there, but once again, we know what we can bring to the pitch, we know how to handle the situation. All we need to do is stay focused and well-concentrated on the task we are going to put to the players,” he added.

Stimac said that Kuwait is a quality side and their world ranking does not truly reflect it.

“We could clearly see that Kuwait have enough quality in them, and we knew that the ranking they had was not a realistic reflection of the quality they have in the team. They are a far, far better side. After the game they played against Emirates, which was very competitive, it is quite clear that they can hurt any opponents. So, we need to be very focused, and very concentrated,” he said.

“The main question here is how quickly our players can switch to the international mode, which is needed in this game. Anyway, we are going to have enough time this November, five days should be enough for them to switch on, to be aware of what needs to be done. And we’re going to help them to do their best,” he added.

On the rivalry with Kuwait and how he manages such games as a coach, Stimac said, “The games we played against them (SAFF Championship) came after a long camp preparation.

And our boys should not rely on the latest success in the quality football which we played against Kuwait because now we are in a different position. The boys are coming from a different pace of football.

So, we are not gonna lie to ourselves and expect top quality football we are going to present there. Our focus is on the result and how to obtain the result in the opening game of the World Cup qualifiers.

My advice for players will be to forget as soon as possible what happened in June and July against Kuwait and to concentrate on new challenges and new developments that might be ahead of us. And that is the best way of approaching this game,” he concluded.