Indian footballers need more games to handle pressure at International level, claims Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill played 11 matches for Jamshedpur FC during the 2018-19 ISL
|Tim Cahill feels that Indian footballers need to play more games to be able to handle the pressure when they at the International level. The retired footballer admitted that Indian football is heading towards the right direction and it can excel even further with proper exposure at the top level.
Having spent eight years with Premier League side Everton and a few short stints in the USA, China, and Australia, Tim Cahill set foot on Indian shores in the 2018-19 season, signing for ISL outfits Jamshedpur FC. Even though his stay with the Red Miners was cut short to 11 matches due to an injury, but he’s got a fair idea about Indian football. The Australian believes that India is going in the right direction, but feels that players need to play more games to be able to handle the pressure at the International stage.
"The ISL and the leagues that are being played with its infrastructure are great and the only thing that the game needs more than anything is unity. Everyone is flowing in the same direction to get to that one goal - which is to win an AFC Asian Cup title, to reach the World Cup and help women's football and to develop your own leagues,” said Tim Cahill, as reported by AFC.com.
"Indian talents just need more games, get them playing all the time and competing and when they go into international fixtures, you (will) see that they can handle the pressure," added the footballer.
Even after being pitted with teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the Indian football team is without a win in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The only performance from which they can draw inspiration is the 0-0 draw against Asian Champions Qatar last year. The Blue Tigers are scheduled to play the last three matches of the qualifiers in October-November, later this year.
