Even though India’s Asian Cup preparations were barely impacted by their 5-0 win to Chinese Taipei, the starting line-up provided a lot of clues as to how Stephen Constantine may go about building his squad for UAE 2019.
It was a sharp deviation from the traditional Constantine midfield pairing of Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Rowllin Borges for the pairing of Anirudh Thapa and Pronay Halder.
Halder, coming off an injury, partnered Thapa well in midfield to send the rest of the contenders a strong message. With Eugene injured and Rowllin rested, it remains to be seen whether Constantine persists with this combination.
Constantine cautioned his players not to get carried away with the result as they will play much stronger opponents later in the tournament.
“We have played well in quite a few games in the past three-and-half years. Today (last night) everything clicked and worked for us. The boys gave everything they had,” Constantine told reporters at the post match press conference.
“There were some very encouraging performances from the young players and I am very pleased,” he added.
The head coach was miffed with questions on the level of the teams that opponents sent, refusing to believe that it was not a testy Chinese Taipei team that his side faced. “It was Anirudh’s first full start for India, the same for Subhasish Bose and I thought they both had good games, which is why we need with these kinds of games. The kid (Thapa) has great potential and he works hard. Obviously we need that to continue and he could be in the national team for the next 10 years.”
Kuruniyan presents another dilemma for the coach, as Halicharan Narzary had another middling outing on the left. The NorthEast United man was not as involved as the others in attack, as he squandered a few chances.
The coach also praised Chhetri, saying he has the capability to turn the game at any point of time.
“There’s no surprise (on the way Chhetri played) and that is why I play him. He is capable of turning the game at any given time. He is a fantastic player,” Constantine said.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei coach Gary White said it was an learning experience for his young team.
Everything went right for us in terms of future. We had six U-23 players and two U-19 players on the pitch. In addition, we had four players who made their debut, White said.
“This was a learning experience for us. We will try to fix our grey areas. Unless you try these players you will never know,” he added.
White also heaped praise on Chhetri. “He showed my young players how to deal at the senior level. My players will definitely utilise the experience in a positive manner. Congratulations to Sunil for his wonderful career and the goals. The youngsters of my team will certainly look up to him some day,” he signed off.
(With inputs from PTI)
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