Indian Team Has Players Of Quality, Speed; Needs To Be Organised And Compact: Amelia Valverde
New India head coach Amelia Valverde says she has got a "quick" and "quality" team but would need to remain organised and focussed if it wants to do well in the upcoming AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia.
New India head coach Amelia Valverde says she has got a "quick" and "quality" team but would need to remain organised and focussed if it wants to do well in the upcoming AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia. The Costa Rican was on Tuesday appointed India head coach till the end of the women's continental showpiece to be held from March 1 to 21. "First of all, I like my teams to be very brave. I also like teams that are aggressive going forward. This particular team has players of great quality, especially when attacking at speed, and we want to exploit that. It is also a young team, which I believe is an advantage," the 39-year-old said.
"We want to be a very organised and compact team, and when we recover the ball or have possession, we want to attack with intensity," she said in an AIFF release.
Valverde has joined the Indian camp in Antalya where the Blue Tigresses are preparing for the AFC Women's Asian Cup. She joins the existing coaching staff including Crispin Chettri, Priya PV, and Mario Aguiar.
A former player who began her coaching career in 2011, Valverde was the longest-serving coach in the history of the Costa Rican women's national team, leading Las Ticas from 2015 to 2023.
Asked what will be key for India at the Asian Cup, she said, "The first key is to have faith in the team's identity and in the players. It is a very quick team, and it can become even quicker in attack. Concentration will be crucial.
"I have played against Asian teams like Philippines, Japan, and China. These are very consistent teams. To counter them, we must be equally organised and clearly identified in our style.
"Mentally, we must be very strong. Matches in these tournaments at such a high level are usually very tough and tight. Any moment can decide a game, so we must stay focused." She said self belief is essential, believing that at any moment something can happen in favour of the team.
"This competition is built every day, mentally, physically, and in all areas, so that when the moment arrives, we can deliver our best possible performance.
"I like teams that are united and supportive, both on and off the pitch, both defensively and offensively. No one is above the team. All players are important, whether they are on the pitch or not." Under her tutelage, Costa Rica participated in the 2015 and 2023 FIFA Women's World Cups, their only two appearances in the showpiece event. She was the second-youngest head coach in the 2015 World Cup at just 28 years of age.
Prior to that, she was the assistant coach of the Costa Rica senior and U20 women's teams, including at the 2014 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup.
"We are in a race against time, as people say. We have to focus on today, on the energy, and on strengthening everything that already exists within the team. We want to raise the team's intensity and improve them physically.
"We do have time to work on that. If we focus too much on whether the time is short or long, we might not give this process the energy it truly deserves." Asked what inputs have coaches Crispin Chettri and Priya PV given her, she said, "They have been with the players for a long time. Given the time we have, we need as much information as possible from those who know the players best.
"The coaches have been very open and supportive. We talk constantly to analyse player profiles and discuss different approaches. We have to build a team within the team, technically speaking. Our task is to combine all that knowledge and energy to help this group grow as much as possible."
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