New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): It was simply lower than a yr in the past when darkish clouds of doubt hovered over the India U-17 Men’s National Team that was, at the moment, taking part within the SAFF U-17 Championship in Sri Lanka. A 1-3 loss within the final match of Group B in opposition to Nepal left Indian followers quite disillusioned.
Fast ahead one other month, and never solely had the Blue Colts received the SAFF U-17 Championship, beating the identical Nepal facet 4-0, however that they had additionally sealed their berth on the continental stage, defeating the likes of the Maldives, Kuwait, Myanmar, and giving hosts, mighty Saudi Arabia, a troublesome combat within the final match (a 1-2 defeat) within the qualifiers for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.
The AFC U-17 Asian Cup will begin from June 15 and can go on until July 2.
On to the current day, and the identical unit appears way more assured whereas taking up the junior groups of huge golf equipment like Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid, Getafe CF, UD Levante, VfB Stuttgart, and FC Augsburg in coaching video games, as they now put together for the event correct in Thailand subsequent month. The query that plagues these carefully following the matches of this specific group is, what modified? Was it actually the flip of a swap?The reply, from head coach Bibiano Fernandes, is a convincing ‘no’.
“In a way, it is in our culture as Indians to be a bit reserved in certain situations, and that is one of the biggest things that my coaching staff and I work on with every batch that we are put in charge of. It is important to communicate with your teammates on and off the pitch in football, and that is a culture that we have had to cultivate every time. It is very important that these players build that, so that they can be good players as they go ahead,” stated Fernandes as quoted by an All India Football Federation (AIFF) press launch.
Not each participant in a group could be an extrovert, and it may be particularly tough when a brand new participant comes right into a group, feels the India U-17 coach. The teaching employees of the India U-17 Team has devised totally different off-the-field workout routines to assist the boys familiarise themselves with one another and break the ice, so to talk.
“We have some exercises like making them speak about themselves in front of the entire team. Once that kind of interaction happens, the players, even those who are introverts by nature, start opening up to the rest of the team, and then you see the results on the pitch,” he stated.
While the core of the group that received the SAFF U-17 Championship and had a profitable qualification marketing campaign for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup final yr stays the identical, there have been quite a few new gamers who’ve joined the group since November. However, by way of mentality, the group has progressed in unison.
“I could see the change, especially when we went to Spain and Germany. Just in the way they carried themselves and interacted with each other and with the staff. It was really nice to see them all open up, to express themselves. Now, even during the training sessions, if an instruction is given to them, they show their inquisitiveness, they ask questions, which I always want from them as a coach,” stated Fernandes.
“It is of no use if a coach explains things to them and it just goes over their heads. If they are asking questions, it means that they are thinking about the game, that they are trying to work it out in their heads, and that ultimately leads to comprehension. When they understand and finally see it working out on the pitch, then they begin to trust the coach’s judgement even more,” he added.
One of the ways in which the India teaching employees is cultivating a more healthy atmosphere for the boys is by giving them a way of duty on and off the pitch.
“We have been teaching the boys about taking responsibility for oneself. Nothing speaks better than what happens on the pitch, and they have learnt that in a game of football, every team member has to be responsible for his own role in order for the team to do well. The boys have really taken to this approach in both training and in matches,” stated the coach.
In reality, the style of the massive duty has been rotated across the boys in the course of the coaching matches in Spain and Germany, with the captain’s armband being donned by a number of gamers.
“Rotating the captain’s armband is just one example. Other than that, we also rotate responsibilities in the bus, in the hotel, or regarding equipment” stated Fernandes.
The Blue Colts have performed coaching video games in opposition to the junior groups of a few of the finest soccer golf equipment in Spain and Germany. However, the primary focus stays, and presumably now intensifies on the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.
“As far as preparations go, the matches in Spain and Germany were two of the best that AIFF has organised as long as I have been a part of it,” stated Fernandes.
“We played a lot of quality teams in Spain, and in Germany, teams like Stuttgart had a lot of players who were not only in the Bundesliga, but also in the junior Germany National Team,” he added.
The group additionally had the alternatives to be coached by native coaches at Atletico Madrid, VfB Stuttgart, and FC Augsburg, which ended up being a giant studying expertise.
“We had sessions on the training pitch from coaches in Spain and Germany, and also had some informative workshops where the boys learnt about nutrition and psychology. These are important aspects which they need to learn from this age itself,” stated Fernandes.
“Fernando Torres (former World Cup winner with Spain, and current head coach at Atletico Madrid Juvenil A) also paid us a visit during a training session in Spain, and the boys loved interacting with him. They picked the brains of these coaches, which was really pleasing to see,” he added.
The India U-17 Men’s National Team has been on the highway for a month and a half now, and after the completion of the matches in Germany at the moment are on their option to Thailand greater than two weeks forward of their AFC U-17 Asian Cup marketing campaign.
“Going there two weeks ahead will be a big factor in terms of acclimatisation. Of course, we got to play a lot of top-level teams in Europe, but the conditions will be quite different in Thailand. The kind of surface where the matches will be played will also be different, so the two weeks will be very useful for us to acclimatise to the local conditions,” stated Fernandes.
India has been drawn in Group D of the championship, the place they are going to face Vietnam (June 17), Uzbekistan (June 20), and Japan (June 23).
“After playing in Spain and Germany, I feel that the boys are not too far from the level where we need to be. We have worked very hard to get to the level, and it is now up to us to maintain that for the next few weeks. It’s a tough group, but our goal still remains to get a few wins and emerge into the knockouts,” stated Fernandes.
India’s hawk-eyed coach has been carefully following the fortunes of the three opponents over the months, and feels that his boys are hungry to do nicely within the event correct.
“We have played against Uzbekistan and Vietnam before, and they are, of course, good teams. Japan are a good team too, and they have quality players in every generation. They are playing somewhat of a different style this time, so it will be a different experience, but the boys are hungry to perform. I’m sure we will have some good matches for India,” he stated. (ANI)