Indian football is on the right track: Former Premier League manager Phil Brown

Former Premier League manager Phil Brown believes that the 2022-23 season will be a game changer in Indian football with the re-emergence of cup competitions alongside the league, which will aid in the development of the sport. this in this country. Increasing the number of matches will also give young players a chance to enter the national team in time for the AFC Asian Cup, the former head coach of Hyderabad FC feels.

“For me, in regards to coaches in India, it’s manna from heaven. It’s a great step forward for Indian football. As a foreign coach coming to India, all these what we want to do is train with the players, we call it contact time is the most important part of individuals’ improvement,” Brown said.

“The extension of the season, extending to nine months, takes the exposure time on another level. It helps the game widen and improve but also helps the coaches understand the players better from a mental perspective. The whole thing is now. nothing but a positive thing for an Indian player,” he added.

The domestic football season will take place in August with the Durand Cup. The ISL and I-League begin in October while the season ends with the Super Cup in May 2023, completing almost nine months of football.

Brown believes that the increased number of matches will open the door for more young players who want to sign up to play for the Indian national team. India qualified for the second consecutive time in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The continental competition is scheduled to take place next June.

“The first generation of the national team takes care of themselves, but the next generation or the next generation, you are talking about the U23 and U21 players in the national team. Through the calendar, these young players have now made their way to the national team. Ishan Pandita has scored for In the first season in FC Goa he was only used as a substitute, the second season (with Jamshedpur FC) he came on and got a few games and goals, and look now, he is pushing his case for a place in the first India XI. Results are ahead of you Another example is Suresh (Singh Wangjam). “He has emerged as another talent in ISL, now he’s starting these games for India. These are the paths the young players can take today,” Brown said.

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“With the number of games and the number of Indians in the team increasing, taking into account injuries and rotations, every Indian player on the team will be used. That in itself can only aid development. One The number of players that won’t be at the start of the season will have their chance in the middle and suddenly you get three or four. That exposure to the players is, for me, bringing football India is on the right track where it should go,” the 63-year-old added.

ISL will move to a weekend-focused schedule this season with matches being played from Thursday to Sunday. “Playing from the weekend to the weekend gives the players enough rest, the coach has time to prepare better on the training ground and with the fans coming in, that translates into better product quality, then the turnstiles will be opened. Fans will want to come in and watch because Indian football is moving in the right direction with that decision,” concluded former Hull City coach.