Mahesh Gawali, on a successful journey from a great player to a meticulous coach

Mumbai, July 16 (IANS) The brilliant victory by the Indian men's team against Kuwait in the final of the SAFF Football Championships not only gave the team a second title in an international event within a few weeks but also propelled India's assistant coach Mahesh Gawali to the forefront as he marshalled his troops superbly in the absence of head coach Igor Stimac.

Just before the SAFF Championships, India had won the Intercontinental Cup title. 

The Indian team was trailing Kuwait, one of the two guest teams in the event, before coming back to win the event in penalties. Gawali, who has helped the team develop an impregnable defence, helped the team successfully negotiate through the penalties.

In an interview with www.the-aiff.com, Gawali said he was not under pressure when Kuwait took the lead in the SAFF Championship final. 

"No, I never had that feeling. Sometimes when you are trailing, it comes to your mind “Kya ho raha hai?”, which is funny. But this time it did not come to my mind at all. I thought I was pretty much stronger than before because I knew that something was coming because I could see my players wanted to do something. I just told them to force themselves and press higher. I strongly believed that we will come back and score," he said.

Asked what he told his players at half-time in the SAFF final, in which he was in charge in the absence of Stimac, Gawali said he told the boys it was their title to win.

"I told them ‘It is our trophy’ and it shouldn’t go anywhere. I was just pushing them. After all, it was my job. I needed to create that pressure because, at the end of the day, it was our trophy and the nation’s trophy. I told them not to forget this fact," he said.

Gawali, who was the backbone of India’s defence for more than a decade, won the SAFF Championships title twice in 2005 and 2011 in Karachi and New Delhi, respectively. 

The 43-year-old first-time coach said he has high hopes that the Indian team will do well in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup, in which it is expected to take on a team like Australia.

"Honestly, I have a lot of faith in the way this team is playing. Everyone is showing the right attitude on and off the pitch. It has surely raised its bar considerably higher now. I feel that when we play Australia also, it will be very difficult for them to beat us. I have this feeling because my confidence level has grown, which was not as much when I entered the senior team last year. At present, things are different. So, if we continue working the way we are now, it will be very good for each of us," Mahesh Gawali was quoted as saying by AIFF on its website.

Asked what was the reason for his confidence. Gawali said a lot of changes are taking place with the team. 

"Like in the SAFF final, everyone understood that they had to bear a lot of responsibilities and they performed well. In the dressing room, when I was leading the team, the environment was different. They were talking and discussing how they needed to cope with the situation. And the understanding, love, care, and attitude the players had amongst themselves were tremendous."

Asked about his opinion of India's head coach Igor Stimac, Gawali, who has worked with many Indian and foreign coaches, said, "Igor is a very intelligent coach. He understands each one of his players. He taught them to build up from the start. He told the players that if there is any pressure, they need to do the build-up, which will give them confidence. The process surely takes time, it is not something that can happen in one day. If we notice, we rarely kick the ball up these days. Igor truly believes in individual creativity."

Mahesh Gawali has made an indelible mark on the sport both as a player. He is now on a journey from a talented young footballer to one of India’s finest defenders and finally an influential coach.