Igor Stimac was, as usual, blunt when asked about India’s chances at the upcoming 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
“We are rank outsiders in our group,” the head coach said during a press conference, after the team landed in Qatar for the quadrennial continental tournament.
“We know that we will not have much ball possession and will not get many chances to come near their goal. But whatever we get, we need to be clinical and have a clear idea,” he added.
Since his arrival in India, Stimac has often resorted to downplaying his team’s chances in media appearances, even when India have been the overwhelming favourites to win a tournament.
But on X, formerly known as Twitter, is where Stimac tends to be buoyant. He shared photos from the Indian team’s training sessions with tweets punctuated by blue heart emojis.
Probably for the first time since he arrived on these shores in 2019, Stimac is being truthful when sizing up his team’s chances. The Croat will lead India to their toughest assignment since his arrival when they embark on their fifth AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar.
India’s preparation for the tournament has dominated headlines for the past year. Stimac had been asking for a month-long training camp ahead of the Asian Cup since India hosted and won the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship triumphs in June and July respectively.
Stimac did not get his wish and instead, goes into the tournament with key players missing through injury and others struggling with form.
The biggest losses for Stimac will be defender Anwar Ali, midfielder Jeakson Singh and winger Ashique Kuruniyan. The trio have been ever present in Stimac’s plans last year and their absence will be keenly felt.
“It’s not easy because Anwar is one of the best young defenders in Asia already,” Stimac said. “It’s a huge loss for us, especially in the build-up phase, with his calmness and stability in passing.
“There’s no option of experimenting and bringing new faces in at this point in time. We have players who have been with us in the past. Never mind the fact that for 17 of the 26 players, it’s their first time being on a big stage like this.”
India start their campaign against one of the tournament favourites, in world No 25 Australia, before facing world No 68 Uzbekistan and world No 91 Syria.
Given the gap in quality, world No 102 India will have their backs to the wall against Australia and Uzbekistan. Starved of possession, Stimac would be counting on his fleet-footed attackers to get something on the counter attack. Set pieces too will play a critical role for India with Stimac roping in former England winger Trevor Sinclair for a short coaching stint.
When all is said and done, the new-found self-belief Stimac has instilled in this side will dictate India’s fortunes. This is a confident Indian side that is not content with parking the bus and playing route one football.
This is a young and hungry team which wants to play an attacking brand of football and take matters into their own hands.
During his tenure, Stimac has often shown a stomach to fight for things he believes he deserves. Like previous coaches, the Croatian has not been comfortable with the status quo. But unlike the previous coaches, he has leveraged social media effectively to drum up fan support with his evocative posts on X.
While he may have lost some battles, his dogged style has won him quite a few fans.
India would do well to channel their coach’s mentality in Qatar.
Indian squad
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh
India’s Group B fixtures at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023
January 13, 2024: Australia vs India (17:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 18, 2024: India vs Uzbekistan (20:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 23, 2024: Syria vs India (17:00 IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
The AFC Asian Cup will be broadcast live on Sports18 and streamed live on JioCinema.
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