FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifier: Weather is not a problem for India, says Constantine ahead of 2nd leg against Nepal

The Indian squad during their first practice session in Kathmandu.

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KATHMANDU: The Indian National Team landed safely in Kathmandu late on Saturday night (March 14). The squad had boarded an One’O clock (pm) flight from Guwahati and had a stopover of around five hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

The squad was greeted by a temperature of 14 degrees at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 10pm. There was a nip in the air which was deceptively pleasant, forcing the Players to be in their jackets.

National Coach Stephen Constantine, nevertheless, didn’t read much into the chill. “The weather is not a factor. It’s not that much different from what we had in Guwahati. That was one of the reason I wanted to camp and opted to play in Guwahati. It’s not much dissimilar,” he told www.the-aiff.com.

Meanwhile, even as the Sun preferred to play hide and seek and post afternoon on Sunday (March 15) dark clouds preferred to float over, the Players had a fruitful practice session at the Police Ground on Sunday afternoon (March 15) under the watchful eyes of Constantine.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed the session with Sports Science, Strength and Conditioning Coach Danny Deigan, while Goalkeeper Ramos, meticulous as ever, explained, demonstrated and conducted with his three Goalkeepers.

Both Danny and Ramos rely on new innovative concepts for the boys which have so far been unheard of for the Indian National Team.

Constantine’s positive attitude has rubbed onto the Team. The lost confidence is back and the buzz is bound to strike you at every moment. At the practice session, the seven debutants whom Constantine fielded in the home-match toil hard as to do the Senior Pros. Despite the hectic travel schedule, the boys look fresh, motivated and focussed.

However, despite enjoying a two-goal cushion from the first leg home match, Constantine mentioned there isn’t any “room for complacency.”

“We had a good home-match in Guwahati and as we face Nepal in the away match we stay aware that it will be a very difficult match for us. We respect Nepal as a Team,” he said after the practice session.