• Thomas Dennerby took care of India’s national team in August

• Sweden’s former coach will lead the hosts into the January AFC Women’s Asian Cup

• He shared his vision of India’s future and the state of women’s gambling

India, under Swedish Thomas Dennerby, enters the January AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 with the aim of rebuilding its team’s reputation on the continental stage. The hosts were a competitive side in the early editions of the Asian finals, finishing second in 1979 and 1983 in particular.

But the decades since then have provided little to celebrate for the Blue Tigresses. In fact, India have participated in only five of the last 14 editions, and never got further than the group stage.

Competing as hosts for the upcoming Asian Cup for women, however, gives India the chance to rewrite some of those statistics, even though Dennerby – who took over in August – is aware of how tough his task is.

The former coach of Sweden and Nigeria, who has been head of India’s U-17 team for the past two years, sat down with FIFA.com to share his vision for India’s football, the current squad and the trends in today’s women’s football.

Coach Dennerby, thank you for talking to FIFA.com. How do you approach the job of leading the women’s national team in the world’s second most populous country? I was honored to get the job, and it’s extremely challenging. It is also an inspiring job given that the Asian Cup for women is approaching. We have played matches and the Federation (All India Football Federation) has helped us with that. You have to understand that it is not easy to prepare for competitive games at this time due to the quarantine rules in many countries. We have played [friendlies] in the UAE, Bahrain and Sweden. Such games help us measure our levels. The girls work very hard and hopefully we will do some good performances.
Your appointment came after your two-year term as head of India’s U-17 women’s team. How would you describe your knowledge of India’s women’s games now?
One of the reasons I took over the senior side is because of my knowledge and my collaboration with Indian football over the past two years. Of course, I could not be based in India due to the pandemic. When I was back in early February 2021, I was in Goa and had seen them (the senior team) on a training session. And as always, when you look from the stands, you always think about what you can do to help them. Shortly afterwards, when Maymol Rocky, my predecessor, resigned, AIFF contacted me.

What potential does India’s women’s team have? Are there any talented players who particularly impress you?
We have some players who play at a very good level and players with special qualities. It’s hard to pinpoint one because everyone is special. As it is a team game, it is not appropriate to enter a name at the moment. But some of the girls have been very impressive. I keep pressing them.
Bala Devi is one of the few Indian women players who play professional football in Europe. Do you hope that more Indian players will move to Europe to play with high-level clubs?Definitely. I have friends in Sweden and all over Europe who keep asking me about our players, and I keep telling them that the quality we have in India can surprise them all. They have played in Sweden so maybe doors can be opened for some of them. We must also remember that during the pandemic situation, it is difficult for clubs from Europe to bring in players from India because you can not send them on trial. So I really hope that our camp in Sweden can offer some opportunities for them.
What kind of support have you received from AIFF?
Their support has been exceptional. They try to help with everything we ask for. I know that we have full support in various areas. Just to give you an example: it’s hard to find teams to host matches during the pandemic, but we’ve been on the go. Most important of all, everyone enjoys their work and we try to instill a winning mentality in the squad.

You’ve only had a few months to prepare for the January AFC Women’s Asian Cup.We’ve been to training camp. The most important thing is to start working not only in sessions, but also in games. A couple of victories can help us get that winning mentality, and make everyone believe we can do it. After all, football is a mental game.
Are you sure to take India to their first FIFA World Cup for Women 2023?Let’s take it step by step. Of course, we have a dream, and it starts with the fact that we are one of the eight teams in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. If we can reach that level, anything can happen. I can only promise everyone that we will go out with a winning mentality and make a huge effort. And that we will fight with our lives.

What is your assessment of the current trends in the game of women and its general development?The passing game has gotten so much better over the years. The technical ability of the players has also increased a lot. And if we look at the organization, the structure of the law, and even the defense, all of this is much more compact these days. Today there are no weak teams. Most teams are very well organized and difficult to score against. Overall, the competition has increased a lot. I started training in 1997, so I feel like an old man now (laughs), and at that time we had a team with some good players, some players who were OK and some, to be honest, who would not stand with any chance to play today. All players are physical nowadays.
What is your biggest achievement so far in coaching: to take Sweden to third place in Germany in 2011, become the Manager of the Year award in Sweden in 2004 or lead Nigeria to France in 2011? It is difficult to rank everything. In fact, it all depends on where you are. In Sweden, they always want you to win medals, while in Nigeria we won the AFCON championship and qualified for the World Cup for women. I’m still nurturing a dream, and right now it’s India looking to reach the quarterfinals of this Asian Cup for women.