India football great I.M. Vijayan on Saturday said that national team head coach Stephen Constantine is following Germany coach Joachim Low’s path after including six Under-23 footballers for the Asian Cup qualifier against Macau on September 5.
“Look at the last edition of the Confederations Cup and you will get your answer. Germany coach Joachim Löw preferred a team with an average age of 24 years and went on to win the tournament. Constantine is walking on the same path,” Vijayan told the All India Football Federation (AIFF) website.
The Germany team went on to be crowned the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 champions after the young side defeated Chile 1-0 in the final at Saint Petersburg.
In the Indian team, Salam Ranjan Singh, Manvir Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Germanpreet Singh, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Anirudh Thapa are the players from the U-23 team who have booked themselves a spot in the senior team.
Commenting on India’s unbeaten 10-match streak, the former Mohun Bagan player said: “Mark my words, the 9 consecutive victories (including the win in the unofficial match against Bhutan) is bound to make the rival team a bit concerned.
“But the danger stays that in such a situation, the team tends to get a bit carried away and be complacent. In that case, you will dig your own grave.”
The 48-year-old said that Constantine is the type of coach who has a fight and win ideology.
“I need not describe it as the results are visible in front of everyone. From my experience of playing under him, I can say that his ideology is simple — go, fight and win,” he said.
“He is someone who can make you win – it’s a quality that not all coaches possess. He studies his players minutely to know their limitations and skill set, and eventually churns the best out of a player. You need to credit him for this,” Vijayan added.
