8 matches in the previous 12 months and 9 itself in the month of June 2023. Indian football is having busy days now. After thumping Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup 2023 closing, Sunil Chhetri males’s subsequent project is the SAFF Championship at house. The Blue Tigers are already essentially the most celebrated team in the event however these tournaments are equipped for the quite a few tournaments coming forward.
India’s win in the Intercontinental Cup will take them again into the highest 100 of the FIFA rankings, changing Lebanon on 99. Coach Igor Stimac additionally heaped reward on the Indian team for taking part in their greatest 45 minutes in the final 5 a long time. After being 0-0 in the ultimate towards Lebanon, India broke the impasse with a brilliant Chhetri aim in the forty sixth minute, before Lallianzuala Chhangte’s effort sealed a 2-0 win for India.
All mentioned these tournaments are simply preparations for the team for the bigger coming forward and none greater than the AFC Asian Cup.
Now the SAFF Championship presents one other alternative for India to get ready for the massive event. “The inclusion of Lebanon and Kuwait (in the SAFF Championship) is a welcome addition,” Chhetri instructed media final week.Â
“Lebanon and Kuwait are much similar to Syria, which we’ll be playing in the Asian Cup. So, that will give us a better understanding. We are likely to play UAE (in the King’s Cup in Thailand in September) next and their level will be like Uzbekistan (the other opponent in Asian Cup). We definitely want to win SAFF, but the tougher opponents we get the better it is for us. Everyone in the team is also going to like it as we don’t get to play for the national team very often.”
India’s preps underway
Indian football could have busy and essential months coming forward. After the continued SAFF Championship, September, October and November shall be seeing multi-nation tournaments coming forward. The King’s Cup is about to be held in September, and Merdika Cup and World Cup qualifiers are set to be performed in October and November, respectively.
Notably, the Asian Cup stands as a giant problem for India. Teams are a lot stronger there and the Indian coach is cautious of the deal with. “When you go out there and face Australia and Uzbekistan, you really need to be ready for everything,” Stimac mentioned. “The most important time for us is going to be December and the preparation for Asian Cup. All this prior to that, forget it. Are we going to have all the players we worked with here? Who knows who will survive until then?”
