Asian Games: Stimac lauds Chhetri and Jhingan for guiding younger team-mates

Hangzhou: Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac has lauded senior players Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan for "brilliantly" guiding the younger team-mates after the side qualified for the round of 16 in Asian Games despite a controversial build-up.

A rag-tag team with just Chhetri and Jhingan as notable names was assembled in the eleventh hour after the Indian Super League clubs refused to release their players named in the original squad.

The team reached Hangzhou just hours before the first group match was to be played. The team lost 1-5 to China after playing the match without a single training session. The strategy sessions were held in flight and on transit.

A 1-0 win over Bangladesh and a 1-1 draw against Myanmar took the team to knockouts as group runners-up, and they will face mighty Saudi Arabia in their round of 16 match on Thursday.

"We qualified for the knockouts round despite all the problems. I am very proud of the boys especially for Sunil and Sandesh. They led these youngsters without giving them opportunity to find alibi for the circus, I would say," Stimac said, referring to the controversies surrounding the build-up to the Games.

"Nurturing the young players is much easier with Sunil and Sandesh around. For a coach the most important place is the training pitch but that was hardly possible (here).

"The other thing is explanations, individual meetings, discussions what to do on certain situations on the pitch. When second half starts, fatigue kicks in and your brain does not work because oxygen is not coming." Before departing for Hangzhou, Stimac has said that Chhetri and Sandesh would be rested for the game against China and be used for the last two group matches. But both played all the three matches.

"He (Chhetri) is not listening to his coach. I wanted to take him out in the 60th minute but he does not want to come out," Stimac joked.

Asked what are the positives for the team so far, Stimac said, "On many points I am not happy but I cannot expect more from the boys I never worked with. We have just one training session in the first five days we were here (till the end of group match against Myanmar).

"Qualifying for knockouts is the most satisfying thing." He said he has found two youngsters who may fit in to the national senior team in future but refused to divulged the names.

"The biggest positive is, I found a couple of boys who will serve us really well in future. I can't tell their names, because if I do so, they may start flying." Against Myanmar, India were leading 1-0 but conceded a late goal to split points. "I was angry because it was naive. Exactly how I told that is the only way of them (Myanmar) scoring. Silly to lose position on the left side, allowed a cross to come in.

"It was a brilliant swinging cross, no doubt, and a great goal to be honest. Credit to Myanmar players. We had two three chances to kill the match." Stimac, however, said he could not fault the players too much because some of them were playing out of their normal position.

"It was very tough. Four to five players were playing out of their natural positions and I can't criticise them for any mistake. Some of them have never played in the positions they are playing here.

"Attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, central defender and left full back. You are short in the game, you cannot have passing through the line.

"We need to analyse Saudi Arabia, their weak points and strength and prepare a starting XI to give them a hard time."