Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian national football team, emphasized the need for Indian clubs to develop more consistent centre-forwards to succeed Sunil Chhetri. With Chhetri, the all-time leading goal-scorer for India, nearing the end of his career at 39, Stimac urged serious efforts to cultivate talented forwards domestically.
“People are always looking at a question which we all know the answer to. Someone will. When the time comes, we need to see who is the most stable player in that position. How many centre-forwards do we have in India? Hardly any,” Stimac was quoted saying by Sportstar.
“So, where do you think I’m going to find them from, Croatia? The people need to work on that seriously.”
Stimac acknowledged the emergence of forwards like Sivasakthi Narayanan, Ishan Pandita, Rahim Ali, Gurkirat Singh, Ayush Chhikara, and Parthib Gogoi in the Indian Super League (ISL). However, he pointed out their inconsistency compared to Chhetri. Only Bengaluru FC and occasionally Chennaiyin FC consistently field Indian strikers in the current ISL season.
“We need to allow young boys to start playing as a centre-forward for us, in the lower leagues, then the ISL and hopefully, in foreign clubs someday.”
“And then hope that someone like Sunil Chhetri will appear to represent the country. But unless people start working seriously and on a long-term plan, nothing will happen.” added Stimac.
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The coach stressed the importance of allowing young players to develop as centre-forwards in lower leagues, ISL, and potentially foreign clubs. He cited the examples of Australia and South Korea, where experience from foreign clubs has contributed to their national teams.
Stimac, who took charge in 2019, highlighted the progress in changing Indian football’s identity by implementing more technical play and providing opportunities for young players. Despite India’s losses in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 group stage, Stimac remains confident and positive about the long-term goal of taking India into Asia’s top 10 in the next four years.
“As a national team coach, I can work only with players provided to me through clubs of this system. I can only pick the best from that system because we pick also (players who are living only) in India,” Stimac said.
“It was not an easy process. But we are getting gains. We have quite a young squad with few senior players who are very positive leaders, helping these youngsters to grow up and achieve.”
India faces a challenging task to qualify for the round of 16, needing a victory against Syria and favorable results in other matches to secure a spot as one of the best third-placed teams. While acknowledging the gap with top Asian teams, Stimac expressed confidence in the team’s mindset and determination to achieve their ambitious objectives.
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