AIFF name squad for women's four-nation tournament
Indian women's football team head coach Thomas Dennerby on Thursday announced a squad of 23 players that will travel to Manaus, Brazil, who would be taking part in the four-nation tournament. India is slated to face the likes of Brazil, Chile, and Venezuela
The Indian team will be facing Brazil, the world no.7 team, who finished runners-up at the 2008 World Cup, for the first time in an international tournament.Â
On facing a tough side like Brazil, the coach said, “Brazil are a really good team. No other team, since I have arrived, has tested our defence as much as Brazil will do next week.
“In the second game, Chile is another extremely technical side, but with all the hard work we have been doing, we have also raised our levels. The game against Venezuela will also be a particularly tough one for us,” he added.
The Brazilian side will have the presence of Marta da Silva and Formiga Mota, who are legends of the game. “They have a very good squad with stars like Marta and Formiga. The girls are all looking forward to it. It’s the first time that they will play a team of such stature, and it will be good experience for them all," Dennerby stated.
“For sure, when we meet them, we need to thank them for being the role models for football that they have been. They have shown that you don’t need to quit football when you are 30-31. It’s all about performance and keep playing as long as you can. They are super good role models," he added.
But the coach asserted that the team will play fearless football. “I always tell the girls to show respect for all the opponents. They may be ranked number one in the world or number 105, but we need to show everyone their due respect,” said Dennerby.
He continued, “But of course, I also tell them to never fear any opponent, regardless of their rank. Of course, the Brazil game will be much tougher than the Venezuela one, but we play hard in both of them."
India squad -- Aditi Chauhan, M Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayasamy, Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Manisa Panna, Shilky Devi, Ranjana Chanu, W Linthoingambi Devi, Indumathi Kathiresan, Sanju, Anju Tamang, Martina Thokchom, Karthika Angamuthu, Kamala Devi, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa, Renu, Dangmei Grace, Soumya Guguloth, Mariyammal Balamurugan.Â