"We cannot think differently from the countries that are top 8 in Asia" - India Head Coach Igor Stimac calls for a mentality change

Igor Stimac has turned the tide on his fortunes with the Indian National Football team owing to their recent performances. Despite coming under heavy criticism in the months following his appointment when he went on a long winless streak, the Blue Tigers have demonstrated quality football under him in the last year or so, securing a renewed sense of confidence in the Croatian coach.

After winning a trifecta of tournaments in 2023 already (The Tri-Nations Tournament, the Intercontinental Cup, and the SAFF Championship), the Blue Tigers have more challenges awaiting them this year.

They will compete in the King's Cup and the Asian Games in September, and the Merdeka Cup in October, followed by the all-important FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in November.

Ahead of what promises to be one of the most memorable years in Indian Football, Igor Stimac was quizzed by Anant Tyagi on his YouTube channel about how the country can progress in the world's sport.

The Croatian manager emphasized the difference between India and the top sides of the continent:

"We cannot think differently from the countries that achieved the top 8 spots in Asia. Let's not forget how much money they invest - several hundred times more than India."

"We need structured football for U17, U18, U19 - there are no competitions at this crucial age. We just started baby leagues and grassroots leagues but that will take 15 to 18 years for players to develop, that too under foreign coaches."

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"It's not helping the National Team" - Igor Stimac speaks about the harmful effects of frequently changing coaches in the ISL

The Indian Super League has always been marked by frequent changes in foreigners - both in the squad and on the hot seat of the manager.

Igor Stimac opined on how this is detrimental to the Indian internationals and other youngsters who are looking to break into the national setup:

"Too many changes are happening in the ISL in the Head Coach positions. They need time, they need longer contracts. You have to speak about his vision and his long-term plans for helping the club. Coaches are changed, philosophies are changed and players become confused. It's not helping the national team."

A week ago, the President of the All India Football Federation, Kalyan Chaubey expressed how they will look for ways for the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to be implemented into the National Team. The Blue Tigers' coach spoke his thoughts on why this can be crucial to the side:

"We have so many fullbacks, wingers and defensive midfielders. But where are the scorers? Who's going to replace our friend (Sunil Chhetri) one day if we have only foreign strikers in the top two tiers? How will this change? We can allow the POI players to represent the country at least in these positions."