"Results are not always as we wish but I can see and feel happiness" - Indian coach Igor Stimac reflects on SAFF Championship victory

Indian men's football coach Igor Stimac is one of the toasts of the nation following the Blue Tigers' 2021 SAFF Championship success. Stimac's men beat Nepal by a comprehensive 3-0 margin in the final to lift the title.

The Croatian spoke to the press during a press conference earlier today (October 19). Stimac's approach to questions from the media is similar to the style of football he vouches for: at times elaborate, yet engaging.

India's SAFF Championship success marked Stimac's first ever managerial trophy. The 54-year-old, who played 59 times for Croatia, won multiple titles during his playing career. Stimac's trophy haul included two Croatian top-flight titles, a Yugoslav Cup, a Croatian Cup and a U-20 World Cup (with Yugoslavia).

Yet, when asked if the SAFF Championship win was particularly significant for him, the Indian coach diverted the attention towards his players.

"Yes, the feelings are very special because of the players, I'm very happy for them. They worked very hard in difficult conditions, there was not a lot of understanding in the surroundings. There was a lot of criticism, first of all, even when we did whatever we could in certain circumstances to get a result."

Stimac believes the dedication shown by the Indian players towards the process since he joined the side as their head coach has been vital to their success.

"When we started this process, we started with certain knowledge about what we need to do, how long it will take and how patient we need to be. Of course, not everyone is there with the same level of patience in the sport. The public, the media, they want it to happen overnight but that's not happening in football especially with the national team because national team coaches do not have the budget to buy players."

He added:

"I always say suffering is a part of the way but that's the only way to go where we're heading to."

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Igor Stimac outlines four key factors that he loved about the team during the 2021 SAFF Championship

When asked what excited him the most about the Indian players at the SAFF Championship, Stimac noted four key factors.

"Togetherness, energy, positive attitude and great mindset. I know we were favorites in this tournament and we had certain problems at the beginning because we didn't have much time for preparation compared to the other teams like Nepal, who deservedly went to the final, but they had two and a half months of preparation for this tournament."

The Croatian praised the players' resolve in what was a difficult situation for the team.

"We had only 7-8 days prior to the tournament and it was in a very, very difficult position of getting half of the team [during] offseason without proper fitness levels or competition modes. So it was not easy but how the lads stayed positive, how they fought together, the energy they brought to the pitch was amazing. So all the praise for them."

Stimac also applauded the way India regained their composure and form after a difficult start. The Blue Tigers began their 2021 SAFF Championship campaign with disappointing draws against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"It was obviously difficult for us, the situation we found ourselves in after the first two games. There was no big difference in approach or the numbers from the games but the first two games didn't look well only because of the results. There was a lot of result pressure on our shoulders but we handled it well."

Stimac added:

"We stayed focused on the job we need to do and in the end, we won the trophy which was really important. Even then, I don't consider it a special success because it's normal that India wins when it goes to SAFF."

The 54-year-old also believes one of the major takeaways from the tournament and his tenure is the growing knowledge base of the players. Stimac believes each individual in the team knows what their priorities are on and off the field.

"The most important thing for me is that we developed players' knowledge about the importance of nutrition, training, individual working plans they need to execute in offseason and importance of rest. That's the huge and massive help because our players became conscious about how short their career is, that they need to use every and each minute of their free and spare time to develop their knowledge, fitness capacity and everything else."

Stimac also added that the squad seemed to be enjoying their football now and the mood has been excellent within the camp during his tenure.

"I would ask you guys from the media to talk more to the players, give them a chance to speak, ask them how much they enjoy the football they play now. You will see how much they enjoy training sessions and games they play. Results are not always as we wish but I can see and feel happiness, I can feel that they enjoy every training session and every game they play because we are trying to play [a brand] of football. That's very important for me."

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We are dreaming about going to the World Cup, but other countries are doing much more: Stimac

Stimac also spoke about issues he felt were pertinent to modern Indian football. The tactician believes COVID-19 has not dealt them any favors, but also called for more widespread changes within the current system.

"All areas are [a] problem for us because, with this pandemic going on, we still can't count on a season which will go on for 8-9 months. That's the biggest problem in Indian football. Our last ISL season was supposed to start in August and finish in May, which would be fantastic for the national team. But working like this with players coming to the national team [during the] offseason is terrible."

Stimac hopes India will be able to resume their regular calendar, which should ideally be along the lines of those followed by top nations in Asia.

"But hopefully we can get a normal, normal season like the other countries we are looking up to because we want to get into the top 10 in Asia as soon as possible."

However, for that to happen, the Indian head coach believes massive changes are required with respect to investment and grassroots development.

"To do so, we need to have the quality of the internal competition at the same levels at least of other countries from the top 10, same development in academies, same quantities in investment and other things."

To elaborate on the same, Stimac drew references to China. Despite investing plenty of money, the Chinese football team still struggle to take large strides within the Asian football community.

"China has been spending, in the last six years, more than a billion dollars per year in football development. They have five million kids involved in structured academy work at the moment. They employ thousands of foreign coaches in academies. They are paying foreign players thousands of millions of dollars to come to China and develop the knowledge of their homegrown players."

Stimac went on to add:

"The coaches are paid from $5 million to $15-20 million per season. And still, it's not enough. They also employ foreign players to play for the national team and still they are only in the group, in the third round (of the AFC Cup) and it will not happen again."

While this indicates that money alone is not the solution, Stimac believes a systematic investment of funds into the sport could help Indian football grow. He feels plenty of change still needs to take place off the field if India need to reach the heights of the FIFA World Cup.

"We (India) are dreaming about going to the World Cup, but other countries are doing much more in regards to whatever aspect you look for - quantity of investments which is crucial in development, in grassroots programs, in bringing foreign coaches for academies, in coaching licensing. Every aspect is there and it's still not happening to these countries."

Stimac concluded:

"So we need to be patient and work really hard every day, every night but we also need to supported on the process which we are going through."

So far, the Croatian has managed India in 22 matches. The Blue Tigers have only managed six wins in that time, with seven draws and nine losses. However, half of those victories came in their final three matches of the 2021 SAFF Championship.

This could indicate that Stimac and India are finally turning the tide, though only time will tell if that positive change is definitive.