INDIAN FOOTBALL

Stimac demands players to change their mindset after heavy UAE defeat

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Indian head coach Igor Stimac stressed players adapting to the fast-paced game of football at the International level in order to improve the team and to take the team forward. After a good comeback against Oman in a match where Stimac played 10 debutants India were looking promising for the upcoming game.

But things turned ugly as India faced their biggest defeat under Stimac’s took charge. The 50 years-old stated “There are things we are too comfortable with. When you take too much time on the ball, the opponents will hurt you. We need to change that mindset. There is no time and space in international football, you have to adapt and play quickly,”.

Indian Football Team lost their friendly against the United Arab Emirates, a team which is 40 ranks below them in the FIFA World Rankings. But looking at UAE’s performances in their last fixtures it felt like something big could happen but the ruthless gameplay by UAE tore India’s defense apart. The Indian team lost with a big margin way more than what fans and supporters expected.

Stimac not happy with team performance:

After the clash against Oman, the Indian coach wasn’t happy because of the way the team performed in the first half. Even before the match against UAE Stimac was full of warnings it seemed like the players didn’t pay heed to what the coach said. Later they fell to a level that was even below the ISL‘s standards.

“Our players will need to understand that this is not the ISL where there is a lot of space and time to control the ball in the middle. If you behave the way you do in ISL in international matches, you will be badly hurt,” Igor had said before the match.

The Indian players failed to do even the basics right. There were huge gaps between defenders which gave UAE a lot of space and time to attack. The lack of pressure on the ball in midfield gave UAE midfielders time to roam freely and make runs as per their will.

That wasn’t all the Indian players were also lacking passing precision and were losing the ball in their half. By the end of the game, the Indian team also lacked energy, intensity, and effort. The Indian team were getting bullied physically in the last minutes, which summed up India’s performance.

After this performance fingers will surely be pointed towards Igor Stimac. But by looking at the amount of time he gets with the players and how the players are responding to his orders is he the only one to be blamed?.

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