Acclimatising fast is very important: Koevermans

Yangon - India’s chief football coach Wim Koevermans Wednesday said acclimatisation will be the key as his boys gear up for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers starting here March 2.

“The idea stays to get enough rest to overcome and adjust after the hectic travel schedules. Travelling is tiring and takes its toll, especially if you travel to a different time zone; and one needs to remember that in Asia, you need to travel long.

“Hence, acclimatisation is important. We need to get it out of system. The boys have adjusted superbly so far and we even had a light practice session on the first afternoon,” said Koevarmans.

The players from Churchill Brothers and East Bengal couldn’t arrive together with the Group, courtesy the AFC Cup schedule.

The Dutchman said that the camp in Pune helped the boys gell well.

“The boys worked hard and so did the staff. There was a reason for the camp and we accomplished it. Things are working in the right direction and that’s important.

“The players will always have to get used to the tempo of the training sessions. The sessions were of very high intensity and everyone adjusted well,” said Koevarmans.

India, who won the Challenge Cup last in 2008, open their campaign against Chinese Taipei at the Youth Training Centre here March 2. They next face Guam (March 4) and hosts Myanmar (March 6).

Koevarmans said the team was focussed on the opening game.

“At the moment we are focusing on Chinese Taipei, our first opponent. It’s the first game of the tournament and a really important one for us. We are providing them the information and they are learning about them,” he said.

Asked about the opponents, Koevarmans said: “We take every opposition seriously. In a build-up to a match, we need to analyse our rival teams and stay 100 percent prepared. We need to see the players, their qualities, their strengths and weaknesses and prepare accordingly”