India coach Dennerby hopes for game time ahead of Women’s Asian Cup

Express News Service

KOCHI: The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is fast approaching, and India’s national team coach Thomas Dennerby hopes that his team can get enough matches under their belt before the big event which starts in January next year. 

The women’s team is currently having a national camp in Jamshedpur, and Dennerby, who took over the reins from Maymol Rocky, hopes that players get some match experience while admitting that the Covid-19 situation could pose a challenge. 

“I think it is very important for us to play some games before the tournament starts. We hope to play 11 to 13 games. The Federation (All India Football Federation is working very hard, trying to help us but it’s tough for us to find opponents. Still in some countries, India is red marked,” said the veteran coach during a virtual media interaction on Saturday. 

The 62-year-old admitted that the competition will put India up against quality opposition and their primary target was to do well in the group stages. 

“We will put in the effort to reach the knock-out stage. That means, going into the quarter-finals, and if we can do that, it will be a successful tournament for us. But we also know that we will be playing good opponents,” he said. 

A big worry for the team is the fitness of their star player Bala Devi, who is currently recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. 

There are concerns over whether Bala, who grabbed headlines after signing with Scottish club Rangers FC last year, will recover in time to play in the Asian Cup. 

Not having the services of the 31-year-old will be a big blow for the Swede as she is among the biggest names in the team and the indisputable leader. And her experience and quality will be missed. 

“She is not here with us at the camp because of her ACL injury. A knee injury normally takes a couple of months to recover. So for her, it is a really tough situation to be ready for Asian Cup,” said Dennerby. 

India is hosting the championship which will be held from January 20 to February 6. 

Dennerby was initially appointed as the coach for the India U-17 team which was set to participate in the World Cup last year. However, after the event was postponed, he was given interim charge of the senior national team.

The experienced coach is hoping that his team can start playing some games in the lead-up to the championship. 

“It is hard for the federation to find opponents to play. But I know they are doing everything they can. We are trying whatever we can. We need to play some teams which are a little bit weaker to implement attacking ideas and need some games against equal teams. It is also important to find opponents who are a little bit better, who will help us to speed up the pace of the game, the decision making, the passing and receiving and all that you need to do,” he added.