Sunil Chhetri may be playing his last season, feels Igor Stimac

The Indian Senior Men’s Team will be back in action on home soil after nine months, in the Hero Tri-Nation Football Tournament from March 22, 2023, and Head Coach Igor Stimac has asserted that his side will do everything to win it.

"Winning it (expectations from Tri-Nation tournament). We are the hosts, and we're going to do absolutely everything to win the tournament. Obviously, it's not going to be easy because we've got a lot of players who will be involved in the Hero ISL Final, who will be physically and mentally exhausted.

"Half of them will be in a worse position because they will be defeated in the final. And my job is to regenerate them, help them bounce back and find the strength and ability to play these two games and represent India in a good way," Stimac said.

The Croatian tactician announced a 23-man provisional squad, with an additional 11 players in the reserves, ahead of the tournament in Imphal, Manipur. The roster includes many young and new faces, which perhaps points towards the next generation of Indian footballers. The coach agrees.

"Regarding the change in the core group of players, we need to understand that some of them are of a certain age now. It's difficult to say, but goodbyes need to come sometime.

Sunil Chhetri was nowhere to be seen this season. He was on the bench, waiting, preparing himself, working to take his weight down a few kilos, which is very difficult to handle at this age. But when it was most needed, he was there for his club, helping them, and taking them to the finals. He scored the most decisive goals.

"At his age, this will probably be his farewell from football. I'm quite sure that the upcoming months will be the best for Sunil Chhetri.

"Along with him, Sandesh (Jhingan) and Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu) are the core strength of our team. I've never hidden that. I was never running away from the truth. They are free guys, with great characters, strong mindsets and a good mentality, which is a basic platform for us to build the team around. But of course, we need to keep their age in mind.

"Obviously, Sunil may be playing his last season, and definitely his last Asian Cup. Gurpreet and Sandesh may be there for four, or five years.

"But the rest of the team is just comprised of youngsters. They are our future, which is amazing because that's something which we can build on. We need to be patient with them. And I'm quite sure that the experience our young players have got in the last four years will serve them well at the Asian Cup," Igor explained extensively about his plans to give the national team some youthful energy.

In a couple of months, Stimac will have completed four years as the national team coach of the men's team. While the coach has managed to take India to the Asian Cup, he confesses that the journey wasn't without its own set of challenges.

"It has been a difficult journey. I say that because the expectations are huge on India. It's wonderful to have dreams. There is no life without dreaming about achieving things. And to succeed, time is precious. You can count on fulfilling your dreams if you are provided time to work," he said.

With about 10 months or so left for the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar, the Indian team are making slow and steady strides towards preparing for the big event, starting with this friendly tournament. But Stimac believes that his team has a long way to go.

"At the moment, we are not completely ready for the Asian Cup. In this March window, we will be crediting players for their achievements this season, recognising their performances, and giving them a chance to fight for a place in the team.

"The competition for places in the final squad for the Asian Cup will go all the way until the end. The spots are open for everyone with an Indian passport, and not only those involved in the Hero ISL.

"I just hope that the next eight or nine months will serve us well to prepare for the Asian Cup. The calendar for the next season is going to be difficult. We want to utilise the September, October and November international windows well, and I hope all stakeholders of Indian Football get involved and help the national team," he concluded.