Bengaluru, Dec 29 (IANS) The Indian senior women’s team will take on Maldives in the first of two FIFA International Friendlies on Monday, at the Padukone – Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence. Head coach Joakim Alexandersson believes his side will be the dominant team.
The Swedish coach, under whom the India U20s have been training in Bengaluru since December 10, will take charge of the Blue Tigresses. 17 players, including senior internationals, have joined the camp for the friendly matches after which Alexandersson announced the 23-member squad.
The 48-year-old has settled well in Bengaluru and eagerly awaits his first match as India’s coach. “I’ve been in Bengaluru for almost three weeks now. I’m starting to settle here now. I like it very much. The Sports School is very nice to have football sessions on. The girls live just beside the ground as well, so everything is good. The senior players have also joined us and we’ve had four sessions so far.”
It is a squad full of youth players, with as many as 14 players among the 23 awaiting their first senior India cap. With experienced names like Grace Dangmei, Sangita Basfore, Sanju Yadav, Pyari Xaxa and Ranjana Chanu joining the team, it’s a good opportunity for the U20 players to learn from them, many of whom they idolise.
“I think the junior players have learned a lot in these three weeks because many of them may not have been training much in their home clubs. They lacked knowledge about tactics and movements and other principles in football. So there are improvements to be done. There are different levels between the players, some are a bit further than others,” said Alexandersson.
India are ranked 69th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Maldives are 163rd. While Alexandersson expects a dominant match from the Blue Tigresses, he will be keen to give youngsters a taste of the international arena for the first time. In October’s SAFF Championship, Maldives finished at the bottom of their group after losing 0-1 to Sri Lanka, 0-11 to Nepal and 0-13 to Bhutan. India and Maldives have met six times in the past, where the Blue Tigresses have emerged victorious five times (with 43 goals scored and none conceded) and drawn once. The last meeting was at the 2022 SAFF Championship as India won 9-0, including a brace from Grace.
“First of all, of course, I want to win the game for sure,” said Alexandersson. “We have worked on some stuff now during the last few days including the senior players, so we would like to implement those. It comes to how the team is moving when it comes to the technicalities, and also their roles in their positions as well.
“We watched Maldives play in the SAFF Championship a few months ago. They are not the strongest opponents. I think we’re going to be the dominant team. I would also say that we can be a little more patient with the ball and not go for attacks all the time, maybe to attract them a little bit, so we have some more space to play forward.”
Alexandersson got a glimpse of some senior players during the recently-concluded Senior Women’s National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy where Manipur won the title after beating Odisha in the final on December 23. A few others have also come from their respective IWL clubs, where they had been training during the pre-season. Alexandersson also feels the Bengaluru weather is suitable for the girls.
“I watched the national championship matches and have now seen them in person at the sessions here. Of course, I can’t say I know the players very well but I’m getting a little picture of what they all are like.
“The weather in Bengaluru is fantastic. It’s like experiencing all four seasons together in one day. The facilities here are great. It’s nice and calm around and it’s a good place to train young players.”
Maldives head coach Mohamed Nizam said, “The team has been preparing for the India match since the last 10 days. For now, we don’t have a local league but we hope it will begin soon. The players only train in the national camp,” he concluded.
–IANS
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