Indian football team: Decoding the managerial stats of Igor Stimac
The Indian football team on Tuesday won its ninth SAFF Championship by beating Kuwait 5-4 on penalties. The Blue Tigers have been in tremendous form in recent times under Igor Stimac's tutelage as they won three international titles in a single window. They bagged the Tri-Nation series first, followed by the Intercontinental Cup and lastly, they clinched the SAFF Championship honor. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Stimac took charge of the Indian team on May 2019 after the departure of the former head coach Stephen Constantine. The Croatian tactician's first assignment was the King's Cup in Thailand. In these years, Stimac has brought many changes to the national team, starting from sporting to cultural changes. He has evolved India's playing style, besides improving the fitness of the players.
A look at his stats with the Indian team
He started on a decent note with a bronze medal at the 2019 King's Cup in Thailand. The Indian team qualified for the AFC Asian Cup, for the first time in consecutive editions. Overall, Stimac has been in charge of 41 games for India and has won 18 times, while suffering 11 defeats and 12 draws. His win percentage is 43.9%.
India won three international trophies
The current international window was exceptional for the Blue Tigers as they bagged three remarkable international trophies. It all started with the Tri-Nation Series in March when India won against Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan to lift the cup. The Intercontinental Cup saw India beat Vanuatu, Mongolia and Lebanon (twice) to clinch the trophy. Lastly, India won the SAFF Championship after beating Kuwait in the finals.
Second-highest win percentage among Indian national team coaches
Stimac has a win percentage of 43.9% which is exceptional considering the teams he has faced. Only Constantine in his second stint as India's head coach owns a higher win percentage of 54.76%. The English tactician guided India to 23 wins and six draws in only 37 matches. Stimac with 18 wins is second in the wins tally. Bob Houghton finished with 14 victories.
Highest finish in the World Cup Qualifiers since 2002
India started the World Cup Qualifiers with a defeat against Oman but they followed it up with a historic 0-0 draw against Qatar. India then drew matches against lower-ranked Afghanistan and Bangladesh. But they finished third in the group behind Qatar and Oman. It was their best finish since the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers as they entered the final round of Asian Cup Qualifiers.
India's heaviest defeat since 2010
India returned to action after their COVID-enforced break with a 1-1 draw against Oman. Manvir Singh scored the goal for the Blue Tigers. Later they faced UAE, who were 30 ranks above them. India did give a tough fight against them in the previous Asian Cup, so no one expected a 6-0 thrashing from them. It was India's heaviest defeat since 2010.
Second consecutive AFC Asian Cup qualification
In the final round of the 2024 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, India were drawn alongside Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan. The matches were played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and the Blue Tigers remain unscathed throughout the qualifiers. They held a perfect record against the other teams thus qualifying for the event. This was their first consecutive AFC Asian Cup qualification.
India won their second Tri-Nation Series honor
India started their international window with the Tri-Nation series at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Manipur. Stimac's men edged past Myanmar 1-0 and then defeated Kyrgyzstan by a scoreline of 2-0 to lift their second Tri-Nation series honor. Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan found the net for India against Kyrgyzstan in the decisive clash. While Anirudh Thapa was on target against Myanmar.
India's second Intercontinental Cup title
India continued their momentum by winning a second Intercontinental Cup honor. The Blue Tigers defeated Mongolia 2-0, followed by a 1-0 win over Vanuatu and a 0-0 draw against Lebanon helped them reach the finals. They faced Lebanon in the title clash and this time Chhetri and Lallianzuala Chhangte were on target as India won their first Intercontinental Cup title since 2018.
Stimac guided India to their ninth SAFF Championship
After the Tri-Nation and the Intercontinental, playing the SAFF Championship in a very short period was a challenge. But India passed it with flying colors by winning the ninth title. India started with wins over Pakistan and Nepal followed by a draw against Kuwait. They defeated Lebanon 4-2 on penalties to progress to the final. They defeated Kuwait 5-4 on penalties in the final.
21-game unbeaten streak
India remain unbeaten in 21 games across competitions. The Blue Tigers faced their last defeat against Qatar in June 2021, in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Before their group-stage 1-1 draw against Kuwait, they kept nine consecutive clean sheets. They kept the Lebanon attackers at bay for 120 minutes in the semis. They kept three clean sheets in the 2023 SAFF Championship.
