India coach Igor Stimac turns focus on defence with 2023 Asian Cup in mind

India men’s football team coach Igor Stimac has turned his focus on making his side a resolute defensive unit before the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. India will be travelling to Qatar in January for the tournament which will be the first time they will be making consecutive appearances at the continental event. India have participated in the Asian Cup in 1964, 1984, 2011 and 2019. Last time they defeated Thailand in the group stage before getting knocked out after defeats to UAE and Bahrain. This time the challenge is going to be even tougher as the Stimac-coached India (FIFA rankings 101) have been placed in Group B alongside Australia (29), Syria (90) and Uzbekistan (74). While the odds of India qualifying from the group are slim, Stimac would want his side to make it difficult for their opponents to earn a win. The Croatian tactician didn’t express such a plan in as many words during his media interaction on Wednesday but dropped enough hints that defence is the priority for him ahead of the Asian Cup. “We are looking to strengthen each position in the team. Full-backs positions are widely open and we need more physical and mental strength in these positions. Defending is a problem, it is about understanding how to close out these gaps. We are just dancing around the balls and players are easily putting in the crosses," Stimac said in reply to a question over areas where he wants his team to improve. “We will try various things in the Intercontinental Cup, these games are perfect for trying out things.” India will be playing in the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar in June to begin their preparations for the Asian Cup. They are slated to take on Mongolia (183), Vanuatu (164), and Lebanon (99). Also in June, the team will participate in the SAFF Cup in Bengaluru. Later in the year, the Blue Tigers will travel to Thailand for the King’s Cup and Malaysia for the Merdeka Cup.

In his message to the Indian team ahead of the Intercontinental Cup, Stimac asked for “clean sheets, clean sheets, clean sheets,” further highlighting his stress on working on the defence. Probables for Asian Cup India captain Sunil Chhetri recently pointed out that having the same “11 or 14 players” will be “best for the team”. The 55-year-old coach feels that there’s still time for him to draw his final pick of players for the Asian Cup. “Before the Asian Cup, India will pay some tournaments — Merdeka Cup, Intercontinental Cup. “There is the U-23, then there is the Merdeka Cup in October, then we are starting the World Cup qualifiers. Asian Cup prospects will depend on December preparations because things are changing on a daily basis. It depends on who are in form, who are in best position in December, they (players) are coming after a long domestic season behind. They need to stay in form and enter the Asian Cup on a positive note,” Stimac explained. On playing multiple international games in the year, the coach said that each match will help the team get better for the Asian Cup challenge. “All these matches are going to help us face teams like Australia and Syria. Okay, why are we are not playing better-ranked sides because we did not have time to find better opponents as there was a change of guard within the federation,” the 1998 World Cup bronze medallist said. “For improvements, we need to find better opponents and challenge yourself and see where we stand. We are happy with the arrangement considering that the in past 12 months, we have played eight games… it’s a huge achievement.” Target for Asian Cup India’s best finish at the Asian Cup is the runners-up spot in 1964. In the last two editions, the Blue Tigers were knocked out in the group stage. On India’s possible goals, Stimac said that it’s too early for him or the team to set a “realistic target” and preparations in the run up to the event will decide how the team performs. “There is no realistic target. It’s more about real chances for us. We can speak in December when we find out how much time we’re going to get for the operation, then I can be more realistic from this point of view. “I cannot tell you about stages… For the Asian Cup, India never was placed better than the bottom of the group. So whatever we achieved, that we will be achievement, I would say,” Stimac said. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .