FIFA U-17 World Cup: Important to Play Organized Football Than Defensive, Says India Coach Luis Norton De Matos

Calling himself a realist, Matos refused to comment on how far the team will go in the tournament

Edited By: Rachit.Kanaujia

Updated: July 20, 2017, 5:49 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/sports/fifa-u-17-world-cup-important-to-play-organized-football-than-defensive-says-india-coach-luis-norton-de-matos-2336250/ Copy

Luis Narton De Matos(centre) with Rahul KP (Left) and Shubham Sarangi (Right). ©RachitKanaujia

Under-17 coach of the Indian football team Luis Norton De Matos on Thursday remained optimistic about India’s performance in the mega-event FIFA U-17 World Cup, beginning October 6.

Calling himself a realist, Matos refused to comment on how far the team will go in the tournament but said India have acclimatised themselves to the European conditions and will try to replicate them at their home.

Matos had an interaction session in the capital, where he addressed the media persons. The coach was accompanied by  U-17 players, Shubham Sarangi and Rahul KP, who play as striker and winger respectively.

Talking about his strategies for the upcoming tournament, Matos said that it is important to play organised football, rather than focusing on the offensive or defensive style of play.

Matos, who joined as a coach on 6^th March 2017, claimed that the team has made progress under him, even though there were many challenges involved in coaching.

Despite having no history in world football in comparison to the other participating teams, the coach said this tournament is a stepping stone for Indian football.

Recently, against all the odds the U-17 team has performed well in the exposure trips and they even surprised some big clubs with their game. Matos revealed that Sevilla was the most difficult team his side faced.

India is racked up against the USA, Ghana, Colombo in group A of World Cup and it is definitely an uphill task for them to outplay these teams to reach quarters, however, Matos is confident and believes that with winning attitude and by learning to handle the pressure, India can face any challenge.

Indian U-17 side, whose US tour couldn’t take place because of visa problems, will be touring Mexico, Chile, Colombia soon and that will definitely help them to cope up with the pressure and learn to play in the difficult conditions.

India will even take on Australia and Mali in the friendly game, prior to the start of the World Cup.

The 24-nation football tournament is set to take place in the month of October from 6th to 28^th and India will play their matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the country’s capital, New Delhi, with the final scheduled to be staged at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) or the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

(With inputs from Sylvester Tamang)