Unity will help us: Jose Manuel Brasa

Tell us about your stint so far…

It’s been really nice. The players are skillful. I am learning Hindi dheere-dheere. The best part is that the players are very nice. They are keen and motivated to learn and are proud to wear the Indian shirt.

Have things been as you’ve imagined?

There have been many changes. But now is not the moment to talk about those things. You know, the tourist slogan of Incredible India is absolutely true. India is incredible! Anything can happen in one minute. And that’s why sometimes it is very difficult to work here.

Could you elaborate?

It’s difficult to communicate, to plan — we never know what we are going to do the next moment. And sometimes you completely lose your motivation to be here. It’s necessary to put extra effort to regain and recover that lost motivation. The players are the ones who help me recover and it is very motivating for me too.

When do you feel demotivated?

Well, we can talk in depth after the World Cup. It happens sometimes (pauses) many times, in fact. Many problems come because HI is a provisional body. We have no parents. We don’t know where to go for help. It is difficult to get answers.

India are sentimental favourites. And we play Pakistan in the opener…

We played against Pakistan at Salta (Argentina, Champions Challenge). It was an emotional match for players. I could sense that players were more excited for that match more than any other. But there are many other things involved in the match than emotions. We have to control that in the World Cup.

Will the first two matches against Pakistan and Australia set the tone?

First match of any tournament is important. It is imperative not to lose the first match. Australia are the strongest team in the world. We should realise that they are not our competition in the pool matches. We have to be clear of our objectives and realistic about our opponents’ quality.

Do you feel the pressure?

I think no one will be under pressure. That is because preparation wise we have been very restrained. If we had a normal preparation then it would have been different. But the preparation has been strange… We moved to Delhi just 20 days before the WC. That’s not how things work. If anything, it will be the motivation and unity among the boys that will help us achieve success.

Does it take away the home advantage?

It would have been better if we were in Delhi well in advance. But home advantage has three important aspects. Firstly, the associations and the government ideally should support with special preparation plan for the team. Secondly, you should know the pitch better than others and lastly, the crowd. I hope at least the third one will be on our side.

How much has the lack of competitive matches hindered our preparations?

We asked HI to arrange a few matches before the WC. But that hasn’t happened for some reason. It becomes difficult for us to plan and chalk out strategy.

You have brought in a lot of new faces over the last six months…

We lost some of the key senior players like Dilip (Tirkey), Prabodh (Tirkey) among others and Baljit Singh as well. We have no time to cry over them. Players like Dhananjay Mahadik, Bharat Chikara, Diwakar Ram have done well. Our team-play has improved a lot.

Will Dilip be missed?

I saw Dilip in the Asian Cup and what I saw was something really special. No player could get past him and that is incredible. It is a rare gift. The problem was he played one year with an injury. He will be missed.

One problem India has faced perennially is conceding late goals. How have you tackled that?
I think we have overcome that problem. That happens because of two reasons. First is the physical fitness. But we are having outstanding fitness now, thanks to our physical trainer David Perez. Second is being mentally tough. That is more difficult. It is matter of controlling emotions, focussing and concentration. And that’s where we lose matches…