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Thomas Dennerby is back as Head Coach of the Indian Women's Football Team. He will lead them into the Asian Games in China and the all-important 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 in Uzbekistan.
Ahead of the national team camp that begins on 30th July in Bhubaneshwar, the Swede spoke to the AIFF Media about the exciting months that lie ahead.
Ever since the Olympic Qualifiers Round 1 in April 2023, Dennerby's continuation as Head Coach of the Blue Tigresses had been up in the air. Two weeks ago, the technical committee of the AIFF recommended Gokulam Kerala Women's Team's manager Anthony Andrews for the role of the new Head Coach.
However, in a social media post shared by the AIFF on July 24th, Dennerby was named as the Head Coach with Andrews as 'Coach' and Maymol Rocky continuing as Assistant Coach.
The 63-year-old opined on how the coaching staff can set up:
"I'm very happy to have Andrew and Maymol around. Maymol already knows me and Andrew will also understand me in a while. I hope they feel free, really act in training and come up with their good tips - how to help the team get better and so on. Because even if I’m the Head Coach, it’s all about teamwork."
The AIFF has shared a list of as many as 38 probable players for the Second Round of the Olympic Football Tournament for Paris 2024. This large pool of players includes athletes across various age groups - senior, U17, as well as the U20 level. Dennerby stressed the importance of this inclusion:
"All these players were picked so that we can be quite sure who is going to be important for Indian football in the future. Age is just a number. What finally decides is if you’re good enough, or you can give the team something that the team didn't have before."
In the first round of the Olympic Qualifiers in April this year, India blew away Kyrgyzstan over two games - scoring nine goals and conceding none. However, the test will be tougher in the Asian Games and Round 2 of the Qualifiers.
Regarding the potential areas of improvement in the squad, the Head Coach mentioned:
"We have to utilise our chances around the offensive box. We created a lot of goal-scoring chances in recent games but didn’t come out with so many goals. We let some easy goals go in during the friendly games when we were preparing for the Olympic qualification, which I feel is not good.
"So, we should be sharp when it's time to finish and keep up the good discipline and defence. I think India could be a team that can go all the way through the qualification, if we have a super good day."
Hosts Uzbekistan (WR 49), Japan (WR 11), and Vietnam (WR 32) await India (WR 60) in Round 2 of the Olympic Qualifiers. It remains a daunting task for Dennerby's girls to secure points against these sides. Among these teams, Japan and Vietnam are participating in the ongoing FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in Australia and New Zealand.
The Swede assessed the opponents and the threat they pose:
"It's an exciting and a tough group. We are not the favourites. Japan have already won two games in the World Cup without letting in a goal. Vietnam also are a good team. And yes, not to forget, finally, Uzbekistan, who are hosting the qualification round. So, it’s three games where I guess India are not one of the biggest favourites."
A "good long-term plan" is key for India - Thomas Dennerby
Women's Football in India, despite difficulties, has been on the rise. The Asian Games and the Olympic Qualifiers give an excellent chance for the very best of the sport in the country to prove their mettle and show exactly how far they have come. Dennerby's optimistic words about the future bear testament to just how much talent the nation possesses:
"It's realistic to see India in the World Cup 2027 or at least the World Cup after that. But it doesn't come from just saying that we want to be there. It comes from hard work, a good long-term plan, regular meetings, never missing FIFA windows and all that.
"We must play the better teams, help the players develop the tempo.We have to qualify for big tournaments in the future, but enough talented players are there."
The women's football event at the Asian Games will begin on 19th September while the Olympic Qualifiers will kick off in October. A gruelling and exciting few months lie ahead for India's Women in Blue.
