India’s FIFA U-17 women’s World Cup coach Thomas Dennerby feels his team has got sufficient time to prepare for the tournament, which the country is hosting next year.
On the challenges ahead, he said, “We have like 300 days and have 350 sessions or more. Normally as a head coach, you usually get the senior team players on the international dates — 60-80 days in a year and a lot depends on how far you can go in major tournaments.
“Here, you have around four times of that. So I hope we have a really good chance to develop the team and have a good tournament.”
Dennerby comes with a rich experience of coaching the senior women’s teams of Sweden and Nigeria in World Cup, Olympic Games, European and African Championship.
Asked what prompted him to move to India after working in Sweden and Nigeria, he said, “As compared to the previous places where everything is already developed coming to India is thrilling and challenging. If we can do something good with this team it will be something new for this country.
“To help a country like India to have a successful World Cup would be very exciting.”
The India team is currently in Mumbai, along with Sweden and Thailand competing in an U-17 tournament, which is also Dennerby’s first assignment.
“The mental part is one of the things we need to work. The girls haven’t played a championship before. Whatever you do the first game of the World Cup will be the first for these girls and we can’t change that.”
When asked if playing at home would be put extra pressure on the girls, the coach said, “Pressure would be if I would have asked them to sing in a concert in front of 30000 people because that’s an act which then haven’t ever done. But they are footballers, and you are probably best in playing football.
“You have other people around you to guide you and pick you — they won’t pick you if you’re not ready for it. If you are good enough to be picked, you are good enough to handle the situation.