Short, Simple and Direct
>From College Girls to Corporate Executives; from School Students to even Housewives -- all braved the rain. Eventually, they were rewarded as India came back from two-goals down to hold UAE 2-2 in World Cup Qualifier at the Ambedkar Stadium. The character and attitude of the new-look Team India promises much. “The juniors are ready for the challenge,” maintains Armando Colaco, and that’s prompted him to remark, “This is the beginning of a new era in Indian football.” “When I took over and dropped some seniors, many had raised their eyebrows. But I knew what I was doing. You ought to give it to the boys.” The new style of stressing on possessional ball play cannot be implemented overnight; especially after the National Team has had a penchant for long aerial balls for the past few years. “It will take time,” Armando insists. “Initially, the boys found it hard to adapt. But they are enjoying the new style at the moment,” he goes on. “I’d request all to look at our International Friendlies against Maldives and Qatar. You’ll understand what I mean,” he added. The match against Maldives which was Armando’s first as the National Coach ended 1-1 and then India beat Qatar 2-1 in an away match at the Al Sadd Stadium in Doha. The cynics may frown from here on. In the World Cup Qualifiers, a nine-man India went down 0-3 and then at Home, India drew 2-2. If only one could remember, India’s defensive organisation for the last 66 minutes never allowed their rivals to outnumber them despite having a two-man advantage. “Indian football is on the right track,” Armando says. “In football 11 vs 11 is different; 9 vs 11 is different.” But as you speak to him, you just cannot stop him from praising the U-23 boys to the hilt. “They are the future of Indian football. I’m lucky to have such a good mixture of youth and experience in my squad.” A little more than a month may have passed by but India’s U-23 Pre-Olympic squad haven’t yet been able to overcome the debacle of drawing 1-1 against Qatar, a match they should have won handsomely. “Jeje is special; Dika (Lalrindika Ralte) is special; Raju (Gaikwad) is special. The entire bunch is special,” Armando keeps it short and simple, much like his coaching. Let’s not forget the Jeje-s, the Dika-s, the Raju-s are all products of All India Football Federation’s Youth Development Programme. Even as the U-19 squad presently trains in Shandong for the Weifang Cup and the U-16 squad leaves for the U-16 SAFF Championship, a whole new bunch of future stars are being groomed all over. The Supply line is getting ready. It’s Short, Simple and Direct.
