Former India football star, Gouramangi Singh and ex- Kerala Blasters player, Darren Caldeira have opened up on the Blue Tigers overdependency on iconic striker, Sunil Chhetri to score goals for the side ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Indian national football team head coach, Igor Stimac recently confirmed that Chhetri will return back after missing six months due to injury, with the striker having last played for India during their 3-0 win over Nepal in the SAFF Championships final in October.
Gouramangi and Caldeira, both admitted that there is an overdependency to score goals and that other players need to step up, considering that Chhetri is coming to the end of his illustrious career.
He’s Backkkk ?
Sunil Chhetri on return after recovering from an injury, scored against ATK Mohun Bagan in a practice match held earlier today. #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/Y8F2JMa9VR
— 90ndstoppage (@90ndstoppage) May 11, 2022
“Scoring has been a problem because we don’t have a consistent scorer other than Sunil Chhetri… but we have to look at the bigger picture. Coach Igor Stimac has given opportunities to different players and now has to work with what he has. The best that Stimac can do is to have his team ready for goal scoring opportunities. So that when the opportunities come, we have enough numbers in the right positions, Singh said, as quoted by Firstpost.
“We still don’t have someone who scores consistently for India but Chhetri has been doing that and he has still got the legs. We are doing the right things but are lacking that quality in the final third. That’s what makes Chhetri stand out. That is why I say everyone needs to step up. There’s quality. It’s just about keeping things simple and execution, Caldeira added.
Chhetri’s return back to the fold is certainly a boon for the Blue Tigers considering that he is their best player and record goalscorer with 80 goals from 125 appearances.
