We don’t know if Sunil Chhetri will be fit for Kyrgyzstan tie, says India coach Stephen Constantine

Indian football has scaled plenty of peaks in the past year. The national football team is currently ranked 100th in the world and slated to move another rung in the rankings by next week. Coach Stephen Constantine, though, is not yet satisfied and intends to take the side inside the rank of 93 in the coming months.

To achieve that, though, the team will have to beat Kyrgystan on June 13. Other than the rise in ranking it will see the team qualify for the AFC Asian Cup.

In preparation for the two games, most of the squad has currently assembled for a camp in Mumbai where they will face Nepal in a friendly on June 6. The focus though is on Kyrgyzstan, ranked lower than India at 128th, but tenacious, none the less.

Kyrgystan, in the past, has shown great gumption in thwarting higher-ranked teams in international competitions. India’s task is not straightforward and could end up being even trickier with two of the team’s most experienced hands out injured and doubtful for the crucial game.

‘I don’t play players who are not ready to give everything’

Chhetri and goalkeeper Subrata Pal, who is already in the spotlight after his A samples turned up positive following a drug test, have both been excused from the ongoing camp and are recuperating after picking up injuries during the recently-concluded Federation Cup and Constantine is not a happy man given his two most experienced players are not at his disposal.

“Sunil has a grade one hamstring tear and he has been told three to four weeks before he can play,” said Constantine on the sidelines of the ongoing camp at Mumbai’s Football Arena. “So by the time we play Kyrgyzstan, it will be four weeks. Now depending on how his recovery is going, he will come to us on the 2nd and then we will assess him and evaluate his condition. As you know I don’t play players who are not ready to give everything.

“Regarding Subrarta has a hamstring issue. He is somebody who hasn’t played too much. These are the things we have to deal with. Subrata has been released,” added Constantine.

‘For me the Federation Cup could not have come at a worse time’

Talking about the Federation Cup, which was organised in the first week of May in the sweltering heat in Cuttack, Constantine did not mince words over the scheduling of the tournament.

“For me the Federation Cup could not have come at a worse time and you look at three games in five days in 45 degrees, it is going to be a problem,” Constantine said.

“I had suggested that we have the Federation Cup as a knockout but due to prior commitments we couldn’t change it this year. Hopefully we will sort that out next year. We don’t need played playing three games in five days. It is too much,” added Constantine, who’s players have had a full season with the Indian Super League, followed by the I-league and then the Federation Cup.

“I could have done without the Federation Cup because then the players could have gone home for 10 days and come back a little bit fresher. Scientifically, the GPS data has shown that the best condition the boys have been in is after we had them for 10 days,” added the coach.

“I go back to the Federation Cup. Do you need to play all of your players? Do you need to play the same playing XI in three games in five days? If it was me then no. I have a squad of 23 or 24 players and that is the reason you don’t overuse or overstretch some players. Sometimes I can’t play some of them because they are mentally and physically exhausted,” rued Constantine.

However, the coach is preparing for the inevitable as he trains selected players from the Under-22 squad.

With Chhetri out of action, Constantine it appears is preparing for the worst.

“We don’t know whether he (Chhetri) will be ready for the Kyrgyzstan game. For sure he will not feature in the Nepal game. We are waiting to see him.

“I think he will be a last minute decision whether to play him or not play him or put him on the bench. There is a going to be a moment when we will be without Sunil. Be it now be it next year I don’t know how long he has. But what I have told him is that as long as he doing the work we want for him and as long as he is fit then he will be a part of this team. But I hope he is looking over the shoulder with others waiting for a chance,” said Constantine.

‘Nepal has been a thorn’

Constantine did not appear too pleased with the last-minute change in opponents for India’s scheduled friendly on June 7.

The Brit said that he would rather face a team like Uzbekistan, who are ranked 60th in the world. India were suppose to play Lebanon in a friendly in Mumbai. However, due to an alleged difficulty in processing visas, Lebanon backed out, forcing the All India Football Federation to rope in Nepal as replacements.

“My first choice would have been Uzbekistan to play,” Constantine said. “But they have bigger fish to fry. Turkmenistan are playing at home so they aren’t coming. I wanted to play one of the Soviet teams which most resemble the style of play which is always the game. Lebanon are very good side like Yemen.

“But it is difficult to arrange these games. Nepal has been a thorn in our side for many years. I know their mentality, they will run, they will fight and we need these games,” Constantine added.

‘If you give me a choice between 93rd rank or AFC Cup, I will pick the latter’

There is a lot at stake when India and Kyrgyzstan cross swords. Rankings again will be on the mind of the team. While a few senior players have wanted the focus to remain on qualifying for the big tournaments, Constantine has set an even higher mark for the team to achieve in time for the next ranking cycle to commence.

If India does qualify for the Asian Cup, it will see their rankings rise to 93 in the world, their highest-ever tally.

Currently ranked 100, Constantine has achieved the target he set when he wore the coach’s hat almost three years ago.

“First we have to beat Kyrgyzstan and it will not be an easy game. My target when I came two and a half years ago was to be inside the top 100. We are there. Now I have a new target. It is to be inside 93 which is the all-time high. But for me, it is more important that we qualify for the Asian Cup and then also we are 93. If you give me a choice, I will pick the Asian Cup,” he said.