"I chose the harder path", says Constantine about handing debut to 22 players in one year

THE LAST YEAR has been an interesting one for the Indian national football team ever since Stephen Constantine took over. The coach has made some integral changes to the squad, including driving down the average age and giving youngsters a chance to prove themselves.

The average age of the national team has come down from 32 to 24, and even more importantly, 22 new players have had the chance to play for the Blue Tigers over the last year under Constantine. 

To add to that, the team is looking in much better shape than it was before; with better bench strength and diversity of style. And the won the SAFF Championship despite playing a relatively young team that was hardly given a chance going up against a team like Afghanistan.

Constantine was eager to share the credit for the progress made so far with the Federation and his staff,

“The AIFF administrators have given me all the support and the freedom to do things as I see fit. I am thankful for that. Furthermore, right from my Team Manager to the Medical Staff to the Equipment Manager. All my support staff have been excellent.”

Given that losing the SAFF Championship is the number one reason why India coaches are sacked, it was a bold move on Constantine's part to go out with the youngsters instead of the better known names in the I-League circuit. Speaking to reporters in Delhi, the coach elaborated on what he wishes to achieve with this team,

“My aim is to develop Indian Players and leave a legacy behind when I leave... during my tenure the best Players in the Hero I-League have been Players who have come from the National Team. There were Players who were overlooked for various reasons – look at Eugene, Rowlin, Lobo, Sandesh, Ganesh, Kotal, Sehnaj, Holi, Pronoy, Gurpreet and you will understand it. They will only get better with experience and time.”

He elaborated on the reason he put so much emphasis on bringing talented youngsters into the fold of the national team, 

“When I came in, the easier option would have been to continue with the tried and tested. But I chose the other path to have new blood inducted in the squad which was harder. Simply because I want to leave India in a better position than what I had when I came in.”