India take on Saint Kitts and Nevis in the final encounter of the Hero Tri-Nation Series at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday. Both teams have earlier played against Mauritius, the third team in the fray, with India winning 2-1 and the other match being a 1-1 draw. A day before the final match, India head coach Stephen Constantine took time to address the media in Mumbai along with captain Sandesh Jhingan.“I think we need to start a little bit stronger than we did in the last game. We have a tendency to start slow and it sometimes causes us a problem as it did versus Mauritius. They got the first goal and we did the same thing against Puerto Rico (in September 2016) when they got the first goal. We need to come out a little bit quicker, a little bit more focused. That’s what the key areas were,” Constantine explained when talking about areas to improve.Jhingan agreed to what the coach had to say, adding that Constantine’s presence was important for their performance. “In the game against Mauritius, we started slow. So, Coach told us the things we needed to work on and in the second half we tried to work on it. So, it helps. He motivates us from the sidelines as well,” he revealed.Constantine praised the concept of the tri-nation series as it provided a different kind of challenge and also praised his next opponents on their good show in the previous match.“The good thing about the tri-nation matches is that it’s two teams from different continents and they have different philosophies, different stars and different ways of playing. I thought Saint Kitts and Nevis did a very good job containing Mauritius. I thought Mauritius would be a little more aggressive, but they sat back and it paid off. You have to give credit to Saint Kitts and the way they worked hard, put players behind the ball and worked their socks off. I think they are quite dangerous on counter attacks,” he said. On conceding a goal against Mauritius, Jhingan - who will once again lead the team on Thursday - did voice his disappointment but averred that the team was strong as ever.“It’s not a good thing that we conceded a goal after three clean sheets,” he said. “I think the goal was a mistake by a lot of players. It happens, but we are getting better. We are still learning day by day. We have a very good coaching staff. We have seen time and time again the mental strength of this team is very strong so when we went down, of course we got worried. But we came back, and we were glad to get the three points.”Moving on to some other questions from the press, Constantine was once again quick to emphasise on the grassroots initiatives taken up in the country, citing examples of two of India’s current players brought up from the same.“Look at the Under-23 side that we put together in less than a month,” he pointed out. “There are some decent players there, and as I said many times before, there is talent all over India. We have two players here - Davinder Singh and Manvir Singh - who were selected through the scouting network and they came through the trials that were held in Mumbai three months ago. So, what I am saying is that we need to do a lot more in terms of looking for players and developing players.”The head coach also laid stress on inculcating the basics in budding footballers. “The talent is there, but if you take an average 17 or 18-year-old Indian player and put him with an average 18-year-old European player, the difference is night and day! He is not being taught the basics. Then you have to go back to what the problem is and push them the right way,” he reiterated.Coming back to his team’s wonderful run of form at the Mumbai Football Arena, Constantine was all praise for the stadium and the fans. “I guess we see the Mumbai Football Arena as a fortress. I don’t care where we play in India as long as we get support and the accessibility to the things that we need. We get everything in Mumbai. The fact that we are also winning games is a bonus. I am quite happy in Mumbai and with the great support from you guys, the media and obviously the AIFF which is always supporting us,” he beamed. As for Jhingan, the Kerala Blasters star maintained that he was happy to temporarily fill for regular captain Sunil Chhetri.“Captaincy, for any footballer, is a great moment of pride and to do that wearing an arm-band is something really special. I am very proud and happy that the coach and the staff thought I could do it and I am just trying to fill the space until Chhetri bhai comes back. He is our captain and for me I am just doing the same thing before the game. It’s not like I am used to it or something. But I’m happy that I got the captaincy and am just trying my best so that everyone plays well,” he concluded.India will take the field against Saint Kitts and Nevis at the Mumbai Football Arena on August 24. Live coverage begins 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and Jio TV.
