Stephen Constantine’s last assignment in his previous stint as India coach was a trip to Muscat in November 2004, when his wards came away with a goalless draw against Oman. Earlier that year, though, India had been walloped 5-1 in the reverse fixture in Kochi, in the aftermath of which the Englishman said he had mistaken his own players for schoolboys. That was the end of India’s journey in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.
A decade later, Constantine is here again, plotting a path for India out of Group D in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (AFC second round). With Oman, Guam, Turkmenistan and Iran for company, and only the group winners and four best runners-up advancing to the next stage, India will have to be realistic about its targets.
“Realistically, it will be quite tough for us to qualify for the World Cup,” Constantine said. “But, we have a good chance of getting into the next stage of the Asian Cup (third place and four best fourth-placed sides enter the third qualifying round of the Asian Cup), and that is going to be our goal. However, we could pull off a surprise; you never know.”
Sunil Chhetri, the team’s vice-captain, felt the side’s relative inexperience at international level could prove to be an advantage. “There are a lot of players in our team who haven’t played a match of this magnitude before,” he said. “It is good in a way because there are no pre-conceived notions of what we are going to face. There is no baggage from how we have played bigger teams before. Everyone is optimistic.”
Arnab Mondal was hopeful of a positive result. “Oman is a good side, but it is not unbeatable,” he said. “We will try not to concede as long as possible.”
Oman head coach Paul Le Guen said his side would not take India lightly. “I know that it has a new coach and beat Nepal to qualify. It has good players, and we have to be respectful.”
