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AFC Challenge Cup: We Would Like To Play Friendlies Against Teams With Different Styles For Asian Games Preparation - India U-23 Coach Sukhwinder Singh
Let’s look ahead...
24-Feb-2010 8:24:00 PM
By Rahul Bali
India have been chucked out of the ongoing AFC Challenge Cup as they failed to register a single victory in the three games played but coach Sukhwinder Singh believes that there are a few positives to take from the Sri Lankan sojourn.
The team finished at the bottom of Group B having managed to score a single goal in the tournament, which also came from the penalty spot.
“On paper, the results are bad but you have to remember that these boys had never faced opponents of that calibre. We didn’t have a long camp and many players, like that of Churchill Brothers, reported late.
“In the first game against Kyrgyzstan we didn’t play well in the first half but after the half time, the way the boys played was marvellous with the game being completely one-sided in our favour. It was astonishing to see the response of the boys after being down by two goals.
“The second match (against Turkmenistan) was a close one where we lost by one goal and lost a player due to red card. The third game (against DPR Korea), it was an equal game in the first half until a back pass from our player, which resulted in them taking the lead. Of course, DPR Korea are an experienced side,” said Sukhwinder Singh.
After the SAFF Cup success, the string of defeats must have been hard to take but the turbaned coach points that his boys maintained calm under pressure and that was worth a mention.
“The positive thing is that the boys stayed normal. Rowilson, Ravanan, Robert got injured while Debabrata was suspended. In spite of these problems, the boys did well.”
Next in line is the Asian Games in November and the team is capable of putting on a good show with three-to-four months of preparation.
“Our preparation shall begin in July. We shall also like to play a few friendlies against teams, who have different styles like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or a Singapore,” said Sukhwinder.
Like the SAFF Cup, the team weren’t prolific upfront and the former JCT coach isn’t bothered by it.
“We had several clear cut chances throughout the tournament, which is important. We never go into a game with defensive tactics.”
Sukhwinder shall have a meeting with Bob Houghton once the latter returns from Portugal in March and thereby, finalize the future programmes and assess the AFC Challenge Cup.
The team finished at the bottom of Group B having managed to score a single goal in the tournament, which also came from the penalty spot.
“On paper, the results are bad but you have to remember that these boys had never faced opponents of that calibre. We didn’t have a long camp and many players, like that of Churchill Brothers, reported late.
“In the first game against Kyrgyzstan we didn’t play well in the first half but after the half time, the way the boys played was marvellous with the game being completely one-sided in our favour. It was astonishing to see the response of the boys after being down by two goals.
“The second match (against Turkmenistan) was a close one where we lost by one goal and lost a player due to red card. The third game (against DPR Korea), it was an equal game in the first half until a back pass from our player, which resulted in them taking the lead. Of course, DPR Korea are an experienced side,” said Sukhwinder Singh.
After the SAFF Cup success, the string of defeats must have been hard to take but the turbaned coach points that his boys maintained calm under pressure and that was worth a mention.
“The positive thing is that the boys stayed normal. Rowilson, Ravanan, Robert got injured while Debabrata was suspended. In spite of these problems, the boys did well.”
Next in line is the Asian Games in November and the team is capable of putting on a good show with three-to-four months of preparation.
“Our preparation shall begin in July. We shall also like to play a few friendlies against teams, who have different styles like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or a Singapore,” said Sukhwinder.
Like the SAFF Cup, the team weren’t prolific upfront and the former JCT coach isn’t bothered by it.
“We had several clear cut chances throughout the tournament, which is important. We never go into a game with defensive tactics.”
Sukhwinder shall have a meeting with Bob Houghton once the latter returns from Portugal in March and thereby, finalize the future programmes and assess the AFC Challenge Cup.
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