Doha, Jan 16:
Indian football team assistant coach Trevor Sinclair felt there were various factors that contributed to the team’s defeat againstAustralia in their opening match of the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
India faced Australia on Saturday in a match where they showed bravery but ultimately succumbed to the Socceroos, the highest-ranked team fromGroup B.
Sinclair, who joined the team as assistant coach at thebeginning of the year, brings substantial experience from playing in the Premier League and featuring in the 2002 World Cup for England.
Reflecting on the outcome against Australia, Sinclair emphasised thepositive mood within the camp despite the result.
“The mood is positive (in the camp). We want to win every game. We went into thatgame believing we could make an upset. The preparation, the work thatthe boys have put in, the team spirit that’s built over the last 14 daysand even before I even joined this group of players, you could see itwas evident. Really good habits in training and work ethic among thisgroup of players. The spirit is good, but it’s disappointing (losing toAustralia) because we want to win football matches,” he told the ISLMedia team.
In the opening match, Australia outclassed India,with the Blue Tigers having minimal opportunities to score. The Socceroos dominated possession with over 70%, unleashing 28 shots atgoal.
Despite Australia’s significant efforts, they could only secure two goals against India, both occurring in the second half afterfacing resistance in the initial period. India head coach, Igor Stimac, attributed both goals to his team’s errors.
Sinclair disclosed that the team held the belief that they could achieve a favourable result against a higher-ranked team like Australia. However, he acknowledged distinct reasons for missing out on securing the three points and expressed his delight for the team, having faced a high-quality opponent. He hopes the experience will prove beneficial intheir development.
“We believed we had a chance (to get somethingfrom the game). We got to half-time (goalless). The belief was there.Probably, a little bit of fatigue hurt us a little bit and the lack ofquality at times in possession. They’re honest boys. They admit theycould be better in possession. The fact that we didn’t keep the ballbetter and that we know we had to keep the ball better. It’s a littlebit of both (along with the quality of) Australian players,” the former Manchester City FC player said.
He further said, “They’re coming from top leagues around Europe and the intensity (of their game) and presses are a lot more intense. We struggled a little at times to keep the ball. We want to make improvements to that. It’s a fantastic experience for the boys playing against a group of professionals thatplay at that level. And it can only benefit us in the future. Hopefully, we can learn and improve quickly from that.”
