Stephen Constantine has given international debuts to 35 players in the last 30 months(Source: PTI)
Indian football team observer and former striker IM Vijayan hailed Stephen Constantine’s readiness to give younger players chances in the senior squad. Since he took over for his second stint with the team in 2015, Constantine has handed international debuts to 35 players and India have enjoyed an unbeaten run of 10 consecutive matches, nine of which were wins. “It shows his courage and belief on his boys,” said Vijayan, “Handing debut to 35 players over the course of the 30 months isn’t something which you would see every day in the International Football.”
Vijayan had formed a successful partnership with Baichung Bhutia during his playing days and is regarded as one of the all time greats of Indian football. He also played under Constantine during the Englishman’s first stint as India coach. “From my experience of playing under him, I can say that his ideology is simple – ‘Go, fight and win.’ He is someone who can make you win – it’s a quality that not all Coaches possess. He studies his players minutely to know their limitations and skill set, and eventually churns the best out of a player. You need to credit him for this,” he said. believes that Constantine’s approach of infusing fresh blood into the team is the way to go. “Look at the last edition of the Confederations Cup and you will get your answer,” he said, “Germany coach Joachim Low preferred a team with an average age of 24 years and went on to win the Tournament. Constantine is walking on the same path.”
Vijayan believes that Constantine’s approach of infusing fresh blood into the team is the way to go. “Look at the last edition of the Confederations Cup and you will get your answer,” he said, “Germany coach Joachim Low preferred a team with an average age of 24 years and went on to win the Tournament. Constantine is walking on the same path.”
Of India’s nine consecutive wins, two have been in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The first was against Myanmar at their own home ground while the second was against Kyrgyz Republic in Bangalore. In addition to winning, India also maintained clean sheets in both matches and that has helped them top their group table. They now travel to Macau for their third match. “Mark my words, the 9 consecutive victories (including the win in the unofficial match against Bhutan) is bound to get make the rival team a bit concerned,” said Vijayan, “But the danger stays that in such a situation, the team tends to get a bit carried away and be complacent. In that case, you will dig your own grave.”
