“We have our plans for the UAE" Indian defender Pritam Kotal
After a comprehensive
4-1 victory against Thailand in the first league match, Indian defender Pritam
Kotal feels that India are well-prepared to take on hosts UAE in their next
match on Thursday (January 10), at the Sheikh Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.
Kotal, who played a
stellar role as right wing back for India keeping Thailand’s Chanathip
Songskrasin quiet in the previous game, said that the team has made specific
plans for the hosts.
“We have our plans for
the UAE game. You will be able to see them while we implement it on the pitch,”
said the defender. “They are a very good side. We have a lot of respect for
them. But we are ready to give it a real fight.”
When asked whether Blue Tigers
view UAE as their toughest opponents in the group stage, Kotal expressed “every
match is a difficult one.”
“You can’t really say
which match is tough. Before the Thailand game, would anybody have said that it
was going to be easy? Every match is tough. We expect UAE to be a tough game
too. They are the hosts. We have to fight in every game and aim to take three
points,” he stated.
The Indian defence
played a key role in keeping the Thai attackers at bay in their last game, and
Kotal believes that the back-four has a good chemistry between themselves.
“Our back four has been
playing together for some time now. That has built up our understanding, and
the chemistry,” he continued. “We always talk to each other, tell each other
where to position ourselves, whom to mark. This has obviously improved since we
have been playing together for some time.”
