King’s Cup 2019 | Expect players to implement learning in tournament, says Igor Stimac
Indian football team coach Igor Stimac stated that he would be hoping that his 23-man squad manages to implement all the learnings from the national camp in Asia’s oldest tournament. Midfielder Pronay Halder stated that the Indian players know how tough a side Curacao would be, on paper, to beat.
The Indian football squad has finally landed in Thailand after almost a month of preparation under new coach Igor Stimac and the coach seemed confident about it. India will face Curacao on June 5, who are ranked 82 in the FIFA World Rankings.
“The boys are confident, and have understood that they can improve their game with hard work on a daily basis. I appreciate the hard work put in by the players over the last 10 days in New Delhi. I expect them to implement their learnings from practice in the upcoming tournament,” Stimac said, reported PTI.
Stimac also revealed that he is taking the off-season and the weather conditions into account which make things trickier for the new-look Indian side that saw as many as six newcomers. Â
“The weather conditions will be difficult. This being the off-season, the situation is tough. But at the same time, it is the same for everyone. We’re here to win, and do our best,” Stimac added.
Stimac’s squad has had some shocking exclusions in Jobby Justin, Rowlin Borges, Dhanpal Ganesh and more as they play King’s Cup after a gap of 38 years. Stimac has stuck to a relatively younger side for his first international assignment, however, Halder believes that the players have taken his instructions in the right spirit.
“The coach keeps saying to us that if we listen to him, and execute it on the field, we can go a long way. The most significant part is that all the players have taken it in the right spirit,” Halder said.
“We understand Curacao are a very strong team as most of their players are playing in premier divisions across Europe. That is providing us the extra motivation to prove a point. We will give our 100 percent."
