The unbeaten streak, the rankings are not a fluke: Subrata Paul

by Chittu Shetty September 3, 2017

Speaking to the press, the experienced Indian custodian believes the jump of 76 places as not being a fluke and that Constantine is, in his own words ‘leading a revolution.’

When asked about the importance of the game against Macau, Subrata said, “For a player every match is important but there are some matches that are a bit more significant. The match against Macau is one such one. A win here will take us nearer to a coveted berth in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. For Indian Football, the match has an added value, just like the World Cup Qualifier play-off against Nepal in March 2015. Had we lost that one, we would have sat idle for the next 4 years.”

Subrata believes the team is well set to take on against Macau, “We are unbeaten in the last 10 matches, having won 9 of them (including the unofficial match against Bhutan). The boys are confident and the body language is very positive. A team is always judged by its ability to sustain the momentum and at present, we have worked hard to retain the winning streak. The rhythm defines the squad. The two practice matches could not have come at a better time.”

On his opinion about India coach Stephen Constantine, Subrata believed Constantine has delivered what no other Coach in India has been able to achieve so far bringing a revolution to the Indian football. Subrata explained, “No coach has been able to make us win 9 on the trot; no coach has been able to take us from 173 to 96 in the FIFA Rankings. And none happened by fluke. You can never win 9 at a stretch or jump 77 ranking places by fluke. We have achieved all of that under Constantine.”

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Subrata added, “He has debuted 35 youngsters so far, many of whom will hold the fort for the National Team for the next few years. In that sense, he has already created the supply line. He has brought in a revolution.”

When asked about the specialty of the current team, Subrata replied, “We have a much younger squad, the average age is much lesser. Given the fact that the nucleus of the squad has been with Coach Stephen Constantine for the last two and half years, the coach has been able to instill a sense of self belief and prepare them mentally and physically to deliver what he wants them to. I would say mentally the present squad is very strong, the work rate is very high and the fighting spirit stays very distinct. We never give up till the final whistle.”

When asked about the significant of Asia Cup, where he was nicknamed the Spiderman Subrata explained, “It’s hard to explain till one actually plays in it. Even before I landed in Doha in 2011, I wasn’t aware of its magnitude, the atmosphere. It is one of the biggest Championships in the World, it’s the Continental Championship. As a player, it’s a dream to play there and we cannot take our foot off the pedal at the moment.”