Difficult but trying to stay focused: Thapa

Indian midfielder Anirudh Thapa said that the players are looking forward to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers but added that focusing on the task had been tough with what has been going on in the country.

The squad is serving quarantine at a hotel in New Delhi while awaiting the results of its RT-PCR tests. The team is expected to leave for Qatar on Wednesday where it will be in a bio-bubble and train before facing the host nation in the World Cup Qualifiers on June 3. This will be followed by matches against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15 ).

While India are out of contention for the World Cup qualification, they are in contention for a third-place finish in the Group which will give them a direct berth into the third round of the qualifiers for a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup.

"We are excited to play qualifiers and we will go and give our best," said Thapa during a media interaction on Tuesday.

"Last few weeks have been difficult. Everyday we get news that some of our loved ones passed away. There is fear that we or our family members might get infected. That's everyone's concern. So it's difficult to be in one room. But as professionals we are trying to stay focused and mentally strong. We are aware of the matches and how big those are."

It will be tough going for the national team as most of the players have been inactive for nearly two months. While they have been given specific plans to maintain their fitness levels, the lack of competitive football will be a detrimental factor.

“It will be really difficult for the coach to pick the team. We have not played for nearly two months", said Thapa.

“It will be difficult for us (players) also. In the back of your mind you know you haven’t played competitive games in a long time, injury worry is also there," he added.

While India can take heart from the fact that they held Qatar to a draw in the last clash, the overall performance of the national team has been quite inconsistent. The team has been winless in the last 10 games, with the last victory coming over Thailand back in June 2019.

Under head coach Igor Stimac, the Blue Tigers have moved away from their defensive approach to a more possession-based style, which is yet to pay dividends. However, the draw against Qatar - which is the biggest result under Croatian - came while playing the old way.

Stimac has also used the previous friendlies - a draw against Oman and 6-0 thrashing at the hands of UAE - to blood more young players into the squad and is expected to have found the right combinations for the crucial qualifiers ahead.

"We need to fight and move the ball. We are trying to transform our philosophy. It worked with the old coach (Stephen Constantine). We are trying to play a different style with the national team, plus new players are coming in. When there is a set team, we understand each other's movements, etc. New players coming in means it takes us time to understand their strengths. But we need to understand they have done something good to get here and we need to help. It will take time," said the midfielder adding that creating more chances is one of the key areas to improve.