‘Work is more important,’ he felt. A day prior to India’s second Group A League match against Saudi Arabia, the German coach spoke at length about India’s preparation against Saudi Arabia, the art of defending, assessment of the Saudi Team and much more. EXCERPTS:
Q: How do you define Saudi Arabia as a Team?
A: We watched them live at the Stadium for some time and have watched our own footage as well.
The second goal which Saudi Arabia scored against Iran can be just described in one word as ‘beautiful.’ It displayed the quality on their side. I see them as strong as UAE and it would be very difficult to beat them.
Q: Do you feel the need to concentrate more on your defending?
A: The art of defending states that you always defend as a Team. We are all defenders when we don’t have the ball. But on occasions in our first match when UAE had the ball, we did not work together as a Team.
Q: How much of an inspiration was that first half against the UAE?
A: It was a joy for me to watch. It showed to all that we are on the right track. There was a certain style and identity which is now synonymous with the Team. I would want the boys to play like as they did in the first half for the entire 90 minutes in all our matches from now on.
Q: Did the momentum surprise you?
A: Not at all! We played quality matches every Wednesday and Saturday when we toured Europe and that was followed by game analysis. I wasn’t surprised at the quality displayed by my boys because I see that regularly.
Q: What have been the lessons learnt?
A: The biggest lesson learnt is that no match is over till it is over. Things can change very quickly and you have to be ruthless all the time. The momentum needs to be maintained till the final whistle. Otherwise, you end up lamenting.
