Doha: India coach Bob Houghton admitted he is short on firepower for their opening AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ Group C game after Sushil Kumar Singh joined fellow striker Baichung Bhutia on the sidelines for Monday's clash with Australia but insisted his players are determined to make the most of their experience at the continent’s premier tournament.
While Bhutia has been battling a long-standing calf injury, Singh was only ruled out on Sunday morning after it transpired the red card he received in last year's AFC Challenge Cup game against DPR Korea means he is suspended for India's first two games.
“We were not aware that the red card prohibited him from playing in this tournament so that was a blow for us,” said Houghton, who will call up Mohammed Rafique in place of Singh.
“We've lost one front player through injury and another through suspension so that's left us with a bit of a problem.”India's task, on paper at least, is a daunting one as they try to plot a course through a group that also features Korea Republic and Bahrain.Nevertheless, the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup winners intend to enjoy their time in Doha, however long it lasts.
“We're very happy to be here, it's the first time in nearly 30 years India have been in a major competition. I think it's a big achievement to get here,” added former China and Uzbekistan boss Houghton.
“When we qualified nearly 18 months ago we knew this would be a tough competition. It's a tough group so we're under no illusions.“The important thing is the boys enjoy it. We can play without too much pressure and it's important they play well, work 100% and we'll see where that leads us.“The only mitigation is that we have a lot of injuries but that's part and parcel of it. We have lost a couple of important players.“At the moment we're trying to get out captain fit for maybe the third game of the tournament. Baichung is a big influence on this team, he's been a fantastic servant for Indian football and we want to give him every opportunity to take part in this tournament.
“We expect to use all our players in these three games and it will be a great experience and I hope it will raise the profile of football in India.”First up are the Socceroos, a side packed with world-class talent, but Houghton insisted his side would not be overawed by their more illustrious opponents.“We'll approach this game the way we approach all games, we'll go out there and try to win, feel confident about our own ability, play the way we want to play and work as hard as we can to win the game,” insisted the Englishman.
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