Frenz United, Indonesia coach Enchang Ibrahim admitted his team were lucky to earn a win against AIFF XI (India U-16) in the Asia Champions Trophy at the Barasat Stadium on Saturday.
“It was a lucky win for us,” Ibrahim said. “Despite the victory we still have a lot to improve.”
Meanwhile, AIFF XI head coach Goutam Ghosh opined that he needs to “analyse” his team’s performance. “We played well in the first half and even in the second but ended up on the losing side. There are areas we need to improve upon prior to our next match against PVF Vietnam next weekend.”
“We need to find out whether the boys were found wanting in fitness or something else. Our midfield was not in their usual self in the second half,” he stated.
However, Ibrahim opined that the “defensive strategy” of AIFF XI allowed them to come back strongly in the second half. “They stayed willing to fall back and defend which allowed us to gain a foothold.”
Referring to a question as to why the AIFF XI boys were suffering from cramps in the second half, Ghosh stated: “That’s also an area of concern. We need to overcome it.”
“Adjustment on the turf was not the problem. We have had ten sessions on the turf and I don’t think there’s any problem as far as acclimatization is concerned. But we need to rectify our mistakes, the sooner the better,” he concluded.
(Report & Picture courtesy AIFF Media)