Players must find mental strength to stay fit until AFC Asian Cup: India head coach Igor Stimac

Indian head coach Igor Stimac has stated that players must find the mental strength to stay fit until AFC Asian Cup. India will take part in the Hero Intercontinental Cup and they are gearing up for the same in a preparatory camp.

India will take part in the SAFF Championship and the Blue Tigers will be looking to tick the right boxes in the upcoming tournaments. The Indian team is currently ranked 101 in the FIFA rankings.

India will take on teams like Mongolia, Vanuatu, and Lebanon in the Hero Intercontinental Cup, while they will face off against Kuwait, Nepal, and Pakistan in Group A of the SAFF Championship and the Blue Tigers will be looking to bring their A-game to the pitch.

Igor Sitmac’s men have performed decently in the recent past and defeated Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar to win the tri-nation tournament in Imphal. Ergo, they will be looking to carry a good show in these crucial upcoming tournaments.

“As every team, we are always trying to find better teams to play against and improve our game. We didn’t have enough time to find better-ranked opponents, but I hope in the future, this will change because, for quicker improvement, you need to play tough teams to challenge your strengths and see where you stand,” Stimac said during a virtual press conference on Saturday.

“But we are happy with what we have. We have so many tournaments coming up this year starting with the Hero Intercontinental Cup, followed by the SAFF Championship, so possibly nine matches in less than a month. And considering that in the past 12 months, we played eight games, it’s a huge achievement. This is the first time we are preparing in such a way, playing so many matches. I’m confident this will give us better a chance to get results,” he added.

The 55-year-old Croatian feels the final preparatory camp before the AFC Asian Cup will hold a lot of value for the team.

“We will play many matches before the end of the year but they don’t have much of a connection to the AFC Asian Cup because what happens in the AFC Asian Cup will depend on our preparation in December and the amount of time we get for it. Football is a kind of sport where things are changing on a daily basis. Who will be the best-performing players in December has nothing to do with what we are doing now, to be honest. We expect all our players to maintain their fitness level which will not be easy because there is a long season to come, which is far different than the previous years. They will need to find the mental strength to stay in form and maintain their fitness until the AFC Asian Cup,” explained Stimac.

India will look to carry the show in the upcoming matches and the team will aim to come up with a collective effort.