SAFF Championship: Coach Igor Stimac and his men under pressure to deliver trophy
Igor Stimac has changed after more than two years as the head coach of the Indian men’s national football team.
In October of 2019, ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers against Bangladesh, Stimac had a clear instruction for his team: “We need to attack for 90 minutes to break two defensive blocks of Bangladesh.”
Two years later, in October of 2021, ahead of the Bangladesh match in SAFF Championship, Stimac has a different philosophy for how he wants to approach the tournament: “We will be playing in a style that will bring us results.”
The keyword in his new approach is results, something that has not been favourable during the large part of his tenure as India coach. In 17 matches under his tutelage, India have only secured three wins, losing seven and drawing as many games.
While the defeats have come against stronger teams like Qatar, Oman and UAE, India’s inability to impose themselves on weaker opponents and force a result out of these games have been the most disconcerting fact. The Blue Tigers failed to beat a lower-ranked Afghanistan on two attempts in the group stage for the second round of AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers. They also won only one match against Bangladesh with the first one ending as a tame draw in Kolkata.
At SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Championship, Sunil Chhetri and Co are the highest-ranked team and enter the tournament as the overwhelming favourites. But the recent results are an indication that nothing can be taken for granted. Just last month, India struggled to beat Nepal in the friendlies between the two teams, with Stimac’s side winning one by a margin of 2-1 and drawing the other.
“I don’t think about pressure, I don’t feel any pressure and I don’t want our players to feel any pressure because that’s limiting their capacities when the important time comes on the pitch,” Stimac said ahead of the Championship.
The gaffer, however, knows anything less than the trophy will heighten the criticism against the former Croatia footballer as fans continue to get disillusioned with his tenure.
Lack of preparation could hurt
India have won seven out of the 12 editions of the SAFF Championship, and while the U-23 team participated in the 2018 edition, the senior team will be taking part this time.
Various factors have resulted in India sending their senior team to the Maldives, the venue for the tournament. One of them being giving India some consistent games before the start of the ISL and the third round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in February next year.
“We could not have a proper camp due to the circumstances. The AFC and SAFF have been forced to organise tournaments outside of the FIFA window (due to the pandemic) and we had to have an understanding with the ISL clubs to release players outside the FIFA window as they also want to do well,” Stimac informed.
“We said our national team will give up November and the ISL clubs to release players in September and October. We are thankful to the ISL clubs (for releasing the players for SAFF Championships).”
However, the team arriving in the Maldives without a preparatory camp can be a move that can backfire. Stimac’s explanation for India’s underwhelming performance under his guidance has been the lack of time he has got with the team due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The argument has its own merits and the lack of preparation is sure to hurt India again. The recent matches against Bangladesh and Nepal have provided enough signs that the competition will be far from a cakewalk.
India and SAFF
India last won the SAFF Championship in 2015 and the finals of the tournament for three consecutive editions between 2011 and 2015 were played between India and Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan has since joined the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) and no longer take part in SAFF Championship.
CAFA, which includes higher-ranked teams like Iran, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz Republic allowed India, in 2021, to participate in its tournaments. However, the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) current stand is that they will not move out of SAFF and only send age-group teams to CAFA tournaments.
Politics aside, a move to CAFA is a win-win situation for India who have consistently found it difficult to set up friendlies against higher-ranked teams. As we embark on another SAFF Championship campaign, where we are the best team, the AIFF’s decision is well worth a revisit.
India’s fixtures in the group stage (all timings in IST):
Bangladesh vs India (4 October, 4:30 pm).
India vs Sri Lanka (7 October, 4:30 pm).
Nepal vs India (10 October, 8:30 pm).
India vs Maldives (13 October, 8:30 pm).
