Stephen Constantine’s experiments with youth

By following a youth policy, head coach Stephen Constantine wants to keep the conveyor belt of talent moving. He dubs himself an ‘advocate of youth development.’ Since returning to the Indian team in 2015, the 54-year-old has handed debut caps to over 30 players.

Stephen Constantine, Blue Tigers, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Eugeneson Lyngdoh , Sandesh Jhingan, Sports News, Indian Express News

India football coach Stephen Constantine has brought in numerous U23 talents into the senior side. (Source: Express Archive)

Over the past week, 10 new faces, mostly from the Under-23 squad, have been inducted to the senior national team. India is unbeaten in eight international matches, sit at the top of the AFC Asian Cup qualifying group, and are expected to beat both Mauritius and St Kitts and Nevis at the tri-nations tournament — essentially practice games.

By following a youth policy, head coach Stephen Constantine wants to keep the conveyor belt of talent moving. It’s paramount to the coach’s vision. “We want to qualify for the Asian Cup, and then compete with the big guns of Asia,” he says. Constantine dubs himself an ‘advocate of youth development.’ Since returning to the Indian team for his second coaching stint in 2015, the 54-year-old has handed debut caps to over 30 players. He’s found a core group of players but is still constantly on the lookout for new talent, which will ensure there is healthy competition within the team and also bolster the bench strength. “I’ve given over a 100 debuts in my coaching career,” he says. “I won’t stop as long as I see players with something to offer.”

It’s a mindset which he hopes will complement the long-term vision he has for the development of the squad. The Blue Tigers failed to qualify for the 2013 edition of the continental tournament, but Constantine is looking well beyond just qualification or a one-off participation. “We need to qualify for the Asian Cup on a regular basis. Only then can we start thinking about making it to the World Cup.”

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Early next month, the Indian team is scheduled to travel to Macau to play their third qualifying match, after beating Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic in the opening two matches. This is in contrast to the dismal World Cup qualifying campaign, which saw the team suffer a shock defeat to Guam. At that time though, Constantine had just inherited a team undergoing a transition – only Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Paul carried experience.

Since then Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Sandesh Jhingan – who will skipper the team against Mauritius in the tri-nations opener in Mumbai – have broken into the national side. Now as the team prepares for their international friendlies against Mauritius and St Kitts and Nevis – that too as favourites – Constantine has a chance to provide his U-23 stars opportunities to experience senior-level football.

“Sandesh was a boy and now he’s the captain,” says Constantine during the pre-match interaction. “It’s how the process goes, and soon there will be someone wanting to take his place. When the Asian Cup comes (in 2019), hopefully the U-23s and tomorrow’s captain will be a part of that.”

Constantine claims to have not named his squad for Saturday yet. But given that he wants more youngsters to make their mark, it’s expected that a few more players will make their debuts during the two friendlies. The team that will start at the Andheri Sports Complex on Saturday may not be the strongest squad in India’s ranks, but may have faces that will be the regulars over the next few years.