Sunil Chhetri says his injury is getting better, emphasizes India's need to improve despite hurdles

SUNIL CHHETRI believes that India have made progress over the last year but the road is hard, and the journey to become a competent footballing power is going to be a long one.

Speaking to the official AIFF website in Kochi, Sunil addressed the situation with his injury that made him miss the match against Iran and still has him doubtful for Tuesday's encounter with Turkmenistan,

"It is better than what it was. But I am not in a position to take any call. My work is to keep doing the recovery and it’s up to the Team Medical staff to decide."

Sunil believed that the match against Turkmenistan is an important one despite India's chances in the World Cup Qualifiers is long since over,

"It’s a massive game. It not only is in terms of the points but it’s also about the morale -- the morale which is so much essential for a young Team as ours. It may sound as an irony that I speaking about a young team, but in reality it is. The more you play, the more confident you become moving ahead."

The highest goal scorer India has ever produced also talked about the transition that the Blue Tigers are undergoing under coach Stephen Constantine, where youngsters are getting a lot more chances to show their skills and take on important roles in the national team,

"It was bold move by the Coach and if all these Players keep playing together as a Team we are sure to improve as a Team. Not to miss out the understanding and camaraderie which defines us as an unit. At the same time, it gives out the message to all Players who aspire to play in the National Team – if you train hard and are capable, you will get your chance."

He talked about the past year India have had in football, where they lost quite a few games in the World Cup Qualifiers but won the SAFF Championship under challenging circumstances. He sumarized the experience,

"We would have definitely wanted more points and there were a few games in which we could not do justice to our potential. At the same time, there were a few games where I think where we did really well as a team. I think we played our best football against Guam but on the whole we will have to keep continuing doing so. As we are a young side hurdles are bound to come but most importantly, we need to keep improving."