Indian Football: 3 Takeaways from Igor Stimac's first address as the new head coach

Two weeks after his appointment as the new head coach of the Indian football team, Igor Stimac addressed the media for the first time at a press conference in New Delhi alongside Technical Director Doru Isac. The Croatian is training the Indian national football team in the capital, which is set to take the field at the King's Cup in Thailand.

Unlike his predecessor Stephen Constantine, Stimac didn't stall the media's questions and was very to the point while answering. He, however, praised the Englishman for taking the country's FIFA rankings from 173 to 97.

Apart from his appraisal, there were many other noteworthy things from the press conference. Here are the three takeaways.

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#3 Teams not to go with the defensive approach while playing

Stephen Constantine was criticized vehemently for playing a defensive game

Stephen Constantine's plans to play a defense-oriented game attracted a lot of haters and as a defender in his playing days, it was believed that Igor Stimac would deploy the same playing style.

However, the 2002 FIFA U-17 World Cup player denied those claims and said that he would like to have more options than that. Stimac believed that Constantine was forced to play the defensive game as his players were more suited to it.

But, he would go into the game with a Plan A, Plan B, and a Plan C. Stimac would also want his team to be flexible enough to transition from one playing style to another although he told that results would not come straightaway.

After understanding his staff, players, the people from the AIFF more thoroughly who are very supportive.

Doru Isac added that a national game model needs to be implemented. It should not be more attacking or defending. He wanted a synchronized and balanced playing style which every team deploys in modern football. So, while a team is attacking, they should think of the defense and while defending, they should think of the attack.

#2 Individual abilities of players

Before being appointed as the head coach of India, Igor Stimac was all praise for Sunil Chhetri's experience, Sandesh Jhinghan's stature, and Udanta Singh's pace

One of the major factors which led to Igor Stimac's appointment as the new head coach was his extensive research on the Indian players. He was impressed by the abilities of the Indian players but was wary of their low concentration levels.

He also believed that their reaction to the second ball was extremely poor and the players lacked the requisite technical know-how of the game. These major weaknesses forced the team to lose crucial

Igor Stimac further lamented that India's defense was a worrying concern and the lack of options in the centre-back position further aggravates the situation.

Technical Director Doru Isac, on the other hand, opined that Indians are one of the most agile people in the planet and it could be an advantage for the nation.

#1 FIFA World Cup qualification objective possible

AIFF President Praful Patel has openly told the media on multiple occasions that India is striving hard to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

As a nation obsessed to its football team play in the FIFA World Cup, the first question to be asked in the press conference was whether India can achieve its objective of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.

The Technical Director, Doru Isac, iterated that it is every country's dream of playing in the FIFA World Cup and India will play there sooner or later. Igor Stimac resonated with his belief and said that it can be achieved with hard work and willingness.

But, the effort and support needs to come from everyone, including media houses, government, federation, clubs, and the players.

Even the smallest of geographical countries have qualified for the FIFA World Cup and attained high FIFA rankings. A huge population with diversity is a bonus for India but the fruits will not bear if everyone doesn't work accordingly and together.