SAFF Championship 2021: Igor Stimac – Nothing has changed, India can still win the tournament

Pressure is certainly moutjng on India coach Igor Stimac as they have drawn their first two matches in the SAFF Championship 2021. They have two more games to go in the competition with the next being against table-toppers Nepal on Sunday at the National Football Stadium, Maldives. 

The road to making it into the final isn’t straightforward as they have to overcome the challenge from Nepal and Maldives. However, coach Stimac is confident that his troops can turn around their fortunes and book a spot in the final which is scheduled for October 16. 

What did Igor Stimac say ahead of the game against Nepal?

“If we play well we will win the game. There is no other option but to win. Nothing has changed. We are still here to win the tournament. We know each other. But they can have a different approach. Nepal have the luxury to calculate. They have six points. That can be dangerous as well. But we will be going for a goal from the first minute,” he stated. 

“Nothing has changed. Everything is still open. We came here to win the tournament and not just get eight-or-nine points. Even with six, we can get to the final. But let us not think about mathematics and just focus on winning,” he added.

Stimac not happy with Sri Lanka’s time-wasting 

The Indian coach did not mince words to express his displeasure over the time-wasting tactics that Sri Lanka, who are ranked 205th in the world, adopted.

“In the Sri Lanka match, 27 minutes were wasted.  This is embarrassing. These tournaments should be used to promote football. Referees should do better in these cases. But that’s not an alibi. We should win even if we play for 30 minutes,” he expressed. 

What went wrong against Sri Lanka? 

“The midfielders did not have many touches on the ball as the defenders. They need to be more involved and find the touches. We did not provide many quality balls for Sunil (Chhetri). However, he had two chances to score from headers but that were wasted (from) which he usually scores. That frustration comes from not winning matches,” he analysed.

Nepal being a familiar foe for India

In September, India travelled to Kathmandu to play two friendlies where they drew one and won each. He opined that India has to be a lot more disciplined in order to pick a win against Nepal.

“We went to Nepal with a short preparation time. We faced a strong Nepal side. Believe me, it is not the same when you play these teams home and away. The pitches are different and the speed of the grass is different, even the balls are different. The home ground helps. It was not easy. We drew and won against Nepal. No reason we cannot win against them. If we are disciplined and committed we can surely win. We were not disciplined enough to get the six points here,” he opined.