FIFA WC Qualifiers | India different team since we last played them, says Oman coach Erwin Koeman
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Oman football team coach Erwin Koeman has stated that there could be no real comparison between the current Indian team and the one that Oman played back in December last year. The former Hungary coach also stated that he has come to take three points and nothing else would be satisfactory.
The last time India had faced Oman was in an international friendly and the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, and many more, who have been an integral part of Igor Stimac’s team now, hadn’t even been handed their debut. And Koeman stated that he was fully cognizant of that.
“The teams have changed, the players have changed and there’s no real comparison between the two," said Koeman, in the pre-match press conference, reported Khel Now.
India are the third highest-ranked side in the Group E of the FIFA World Cup – Asia Qualifiers and are behind Oman by leaps and bounds in terms of quality as well as ranking. However, Koeman has stated that they would not make the mistake of taking India lightly.
“Indian team would like to go through to the next round and so do we. So, there’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. We have a lot of respect for the Indian side and the Indian people. Football is developing in the country and that’s good to see, but we are here to take (three) points and we would like to go in the next round.
“Let me tell you, football is not easy. It will be a big mistake if we are thinking we got an easy draw. It’s the worst thing you can think in football. If you think like that, you will lose,” Koeman quipped.
Koeman, who took charge of Oman in only February earlier this year, has formerly coached the Hungary team national coach as well as Dutch side Feyenoord and Turkey’s Fenerbahce. He was joined by star midfield Ahmed Kano, who sounded extremely focused on taking his side to the next World Cup round.
“Our aim is to reach the World Cup and I think to reach there an individual is not important, but the whole team is important and we’ll go into the tournament as a team,” Kano said.
