The Indian national team coach feels that opinions out of social media should not be taken seriously…
India coach Igor Stimac feels that Sri Lanka could have had two points from their opening two games before facing the Golden Army in a SAFF Championship 2021 group stage clash on Thursday.
The Blue Tigers kicked off their campaign in the Maldives with a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh on Monday despite playing with a man’s advantage for nearly an entire half and the Croat admitted the shortcomings.
What did Igor Stimac say?
“There is not much time to prepare. We analysed the game against Bangladesh and we are not happy with the result. We are two points behind where we needed to be at this stage. We need to do everything better on the pitch tomorrow to win against Sri Lanka. They did so much against Nepal and yet lost by a narrow margin (3-2). They could have had two points from the first two matches. But that’s football.
“They (Sri Lanka) can do whatever they can to stop the team from reaching the attacking third. That is allowed in football. All the teams have minor technical differences. All they can do is fight. And they are fighting very well. We have to find out how we can do well against them. It will be a difficult game but there will be chances and spaces. We have to make the most of them and be patient and clever.”
Will the India coach rotate his squad?
The former West Ham defender has called for more defensively stability, especially while defending a one-goal lead. It has to be noted that India lost possession of second balls on multiple occasions while going for the aerial route against Bangladesh.
“Overall I am happy but we have to be better defensively. If we can’t score the second goal, then we have to make sure that we don’t concede. Man-making is necessary and we cannot give away so many balls. It is about patience, attitude, and approach. The final XI will be decided tonight,” said Stimac.
Is Igor Stimac feeling the pressure?
The 54-year-old has also addressed his views on the opinions shared on social media platforms and chose to show his palm to such comments.
“I don’t think and care about pressure. I don’t want to bring any pressure in our dressing room as pressure is not good. I came to India to help restructure football and create a new team that will become successful. It is a long process and it will take a lot of sacrifices. I am not complaining. We get what we get. We get little time together and we have to make the most of it to get better.
“Social media will never be silent. From the very first day, they will find things that you do not good enough. Social media will never decide who will play for the Indian team and I hope they don’t decide who will be the coach of the Indian team. They can write whatever they like. It’s an open network but serious people shouldn’t care about social media,” Stimac signed out.
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