CHENNAI: For around a month, India U17 women's coach Thomas Dennerby was in limbo. The FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, that he was tasked with preparing the team for, had been postponed and there was no word on when it would be held, and indeed if it would be held.
Earlier this month though, FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in February next year and the announcement is music to Dennerby's ears. "When you don't know, you're always a little bit worried," said the Swede during an online interaction organised by the All India Football Federation. "That can sometimes affect both the players and the staff. Now when you know, it's time to work one hundred per cent again."
Dennerby is less worried about the time that he has lost — the coach went back to Sweden in April — and is more preoccupied with the time he feels he has gained. "At least it will help us get back the three months we lose now. With young players, every month they get smarter and smarter with more and more experience. I think it is good for us. What we can see now, when we follow them. I think it will give us an advantage," said Dennerby, adding that his team planned on focussing on the girls' fitness once they were all back together again.
"We will check the fitness levels of the players first. The result of the fitness tests will help us prepare a long-term programme. We have to ensure that they are in good shape when they arrive. Then, we come to the technical part. After a week or something together, we will see if there are some technical parts of the game that we need to work extra on. We had some kind of momentum in March when we left each other and I hope we can come back to that. I think it will be fine."
The Swede, who has previously coached the senior teams of Sweden and Nigeria described his current assignment as a challenge. "The Indian FA approached me in September (2019). It is a challenging job, especially since India has not played (women's) World Cup before. Moreover, since 2005 I have been working only with the senior teams," he said. "When I arrived in India, I could see that the girls were playing with passion. They really liked to play football. Their technical skills were very good. Also, they were players with good reading of the game. But if I compare with the best teams in Europe, and USA, I could see that they were lacking in fitness levels and pace of the game. Even if you have good technique, you have to reduce the number of touches and you have to play faster. That is the most important thing that me and the staff are trying to do together, trying to speed up the pace of the game."
And how much have the girls improved under his care? "It's hard to say exactly because football is a technical sport," said Dennerby. "It's not like seeing how long or how high you can jump. But of course, they have improved. They have sped up the pace of their game. And that comes when the fitness level is higher and the decision making is so much quicker."