No special treatment for Pakistan: India U-19 football coach

India U-19 football team coach Alex Ambrose said that there will not be any special treatment for Pakistan ahead of the team's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 qualifier match to be held in Chonburi, Thailand on October 24.

When quizzed on how he feels about playing against arch-rivals Pakistan, he said, "I don't want to go into the emotions of playing a big rival. It may only make us lose focus on what our real objective is. All we want from our first game is three points."

Ambrose further said he expects to emerge victorious and is upbeat about making it to the next round. "We have to build on the hard work that we have put in so far to achieve the desired results. Most important of all, we need to stay in the right frame of mind," he added.

He revealed that the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-18 tournament helped the team in gelling well. "We got four international games which were competitive. The experience is bound to rub off on the girls. The game against Nepal, which Nepal won on penalties after a 1-1 draw was especially a tough one. I'm sure they have learnt a lot from it," he expressed.

Talking about the combination and changes he has made in the two camps organised for the eves, he said, "Rome was not built in a day. These girls are young and are constantly learning new things. Taking cognisance of the time on my hands, I have not tried to alter much as I came in just about a month before the schedule. It is better to improve on the system that is already in place. Obviously, the girls will get better with time.

-ANI