Bhaichung Bhutia: Indian Football Needs Quality Players, Not Just Top Coaches

Former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia has shared critical views on the current performance and future prospects of the Indian national football team. He said that despite having good coaches, the main problem is that the team lacks quality players. Along with the coaches’ tactics, the players’ talent is also important. Bhutia opined that even if former Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson were to coach the Indian team, the lack of quality of the players would backfire.

The national team does not get enough time to prepare for matches. However, if you have good players, you can adapt to any situation, Bhutia pointed out. He said that a strong foundation is essential to develop quality players. He criticized that the federation does not pay enough attention to this foundation, and the contributions of private academies are large. Bhutia said that the first priority should be to get more children to play football.

Bhutia also spoke about bringing Sunil Chhetri back to the team. Although Chhetri is a role model, age is affecting his performance. Coach Manolo Marquez was forced to bring Chhetri back due to poor results. Bhutia added that Marquez should have tested young strikers for the long-term development of Indian football.

Bhutia opined that if Indian football wants to move forward, it needs to strengthen the foundation and provide more opportunities to young players. Bhaichung Bhutia shared thought-provoking comments for Indian football fans.