'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian football team head coach Stephen Constantine has come under some criticism over the recent past, regarding his squad selection, for omitting certain players who have done well on the national level.
The exclusion of players like Michael Soosairaj, who recently completed a move from Chennai City FC to Jamshedpur FC, Lallianzuala Chhangte of Delhi Dynamos, Adil Khan of FC Pune City and many others have left the fans baffled.
However, Gokulam Kerala FC technical direct Bino George believes that Constantine needed to pick the strongest and most experienced combination of players possible, for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup, that is set to be held in Mumbai next month.
With strong teams like Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei confirming their availability for the tournament, he believes that India need their best players to do well.
"We need to take our best player for the Intercontinental Cup, there’s no doubt about that," Bino George said to Sportskeeda. "The squad seems pretty good. Young players like Ashique have got the chance, which is great."
However, the Gokulam manager believes that he has the perfect solution for this. Taking a leaf out of German national team head coach Joachim Low's book, Bino says that India should build a second string squad, in order to prepare the younger or the lesser experienced players for top-level international clashes.
"We need something like a ‘B’ team. We have so many upcoming players from both I-League and ISL," said Bino. "See, it's not a new concept in international football. The German team that played in the Confederations Cup was basically a B team.
"They need to be sent on exposure trips so that they can get more experience and improve themselves. those from the B team, who are performing well, could be included in the senior team," he further said.
Bino believes that even though it would be the second string squad against lower-ranked sides, the younger players will still give it their all, as they would be pumped up to represent their country. Additionally, exposure trips abroad often help the players improve themselves.
"Giving them matches in the national team colours will give a lot of boost to the players as well. If they’re playing for India, they will also do their best," he said. "When there are other matches against the lower sides, we could field a B team. Because even after playing well in the league, if they do not do well, they will keep getting demoralized.
"Don’t get me wrong, it's not about the U-21 or the U-23 levels. They need to play other senior teams," said Bino. "Maybe not the high-level sides that the senior team plays, but this is one way we can ensure that these players get the experience of playing international football."
One of the main reasons for the exponential rise in India's FIFA rankings is the careful planning of the international friendlies that the Blue Tigers play. While a second-string squad will certainly help the younger players get more experience, poor result could push the Blue Tigers down the rankings, which could adversely affect India's seedings in important qualifiers and tournaments.
