Stephen Constantine slams ‘nonsensical’ media for questioning his tactics
AFC Asian Cup 2019:India national team
coach Stephen Constantine has slammed his critics – and the media in particular
– stating that second-guessing his every decision is ‘wrong’ and ‘complete
nonsense.’
Constantine has been
under the scanner for a while now, with fans and the media criticising many of
his team selections and tactics.
Amid rumours of rifts
between the coach and the players, Constantine’s job was rumoured to be on the
line, ultimately dependant on India’s performance in the Asian Cup.
However, the English
coach silenced all his naysayers with a tactical masterclass in India’s opening
Asian Cup 2019 game against Thailand.
The Blue Tigers romped
to a 4-1 win and Constantine, while speaking to ESPN in the aftermath of the
victory, said, “You guys have your own
opinions, and I don’t have a problem with that. But when you start criticising
players that I have put in, or second-guessing my opinion, you know, it’s just
wrong.”
“Some of the crap that
you have been saying about me, the team, about some of the players. It’s just
nonsense. You’ve just got to let somebody get on with the work.”
He did, however, reserve
praise for the Indian fans who were quite vocal in their support of the team.
While the media has been
critical of Constantine in the past, a lot of it could be attributed to his own
doing, with the manager often avoiding and even discouraging his players
from giving interviews.
Whether his words have
any effect on his detractors remains to be seen.
