New Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac, accompanied by newly-appointed Technical Directo Isac Doru, conducted their first-ever press conference on Friday. The duo took the opportunity to lay down their unified vision for Indian football's future.

At the briefing held by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) at New Delhi, Stimac, who only recently took charge, was asked about his impressions about Indian football. "I have the feeling that I have been here for five years. I have read a lot about Indian football and culture. I pretty much know all my players by name after these first few days. I'm overwhelmed by the chance given to me by the technical committee," he responded.

"I took this chance because I consider India as a sleeping giant in world football. There are many young players knocking on the door of the senior team and I see a great chance to keep improving the team and to get results. I am happy with the quality I have seen and we can do great things together," he added.

Pressed for a comment on India's chances of qualifying for a World Cup in the near future, Doru said, "The major objective of every nation is to play the World Cup. We cannot deny it is an objective, a dream. During the 1970s, India were one of the top nations in Asian football. We lost the position, but now we have the passion, the energy, to get there again. I’m sure that sooner or later, if we work very hard, we can reach the objective. It’s a national objective."

Fronted with the same question, Stimac replied, "Of course, our objective is to dream about the World Cup. No one can stop our nation or the players from dreaming to achieve these goals. We are allowed to do so. But the dream needs to go together with hard work. Willingness to learn, a positive approach to your work, more professionalism, more communication needs to come in."

The former Croatia international also had some warm words for India's talisman Sunil Chhetri but asserted that the veteran striker will need to work hard to justify his selection, just like the others. " Sunil is very valuable for us. He is a role model for these young players who are knocking on the door. He is so experienced, has done so much for Indian football, scored so many goals. But, like others, he needs to fight for the place on the team. We all start from zero. Football is like this. You don’t get paid for the past," the 51-year-old stated.

"I expect the other senior players like Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu) and Sandesh (Jhingan) to be role models in the team as well. So far, I'm very happy with the players and their behaviour. I'm sure we'll all work well together," he added.

Asked if fans can expect a change of style under him compared to his predecessor Stephen Constantine, Stimac revealed, "In football, teams are developing rapidly. We need to speed up. I have seen the games the former head coach played. His football was adapted to the players he had. That was the most effective way to play with those players. I will do my best to have more options. To have plans A, B and C. We need to learn how we can transform from one option to the other. We will be working on that. With a little bit of luck and work, we will be okay. I see many talented players who are ready to learn."

Laying out his research on Indian football before coming to India, the Croat said, "I watched nearly all matches of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) last season. I am also familiar with the Indian Arrows team and the players who played in the U-17 World Cup in India. I have also been informed about some young players who were not playing so much but are showing great capacity. I recognized that from my research as well. I’m here to give them the chance to prove themselves. Training with me, working with me."

With the King's Cup in Thailand right around the corner, Stimac's first order of business will be selecting the final squad for the tournament from the 37 probables currently training under him at the national camp. Sharing his views on the preparations, the 1998 World Cup semi-finalist said, "We have tested our players. We are in off-season mode and they were on holiday. So, the most important thing for me was to get an understanding of their physical conditions. Now I will finish the working plan for how much intensity I can put on the training sessions for them. I must not send these players back injured to their clubs. They will be properly trained. Before we leave for Thailand, there will be a final list of players. Our players are in good condition. I am satisfied with most of them."