No Pressure To Enter The Indian Football Team: Michael Soosairaj Is Happy With The Call To The National Camp

Rewarded late for his performance on the national circuit, a first call to the national camp has not put any pressure on Michael Soosairaj to do something different to join the Indian team.

"I have never been called to a national camp and this is the first, I am happy." I do not have any pressure to have to act and take this opportunity and be in the final team, "said Soosairaj on the sidelines of the national camp in Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.

New coach Igor Stimac had summoned 37 players for the camp, which began on May 21, to prepare for the Kings Cup in Thailand. Six players were released on Monday, while the remaining 31 will be reduced to 23.

"I do not know if I'll be there in the final 23. The competition between the players is very hard, especially in the midfield, even if I'm not in the final team, I'll still be happy," said the Tamil Nadu player, who was named as the best midfielder in the I-League in the 2017-18 season.

When asked about the style of play that Stimac has been emphasizing during the camp so far, Soosairaj said: "I love playing with a single touch and two touches and also with the combination and coordination."

Soosairaj played for Chennai City FC of the I-League for two seasons [2016-18] before joining the franchise of the Indian Super League Jamshedpur FC last season. On Tuesday, he was announced, along with his brother Michael Regina, as the new signing of the ATK on the side of ISL based in Calcutta.

"I like the way the ATK people approached us. Also, my brother Regina will also play with me at ATK. We wanted to play in Calcutta. My brother [Regina] is my idol, "he said.

Soosairaj also said that senior player Sunil Chhetri encourages everyone to give their best on the field. "He told me that this is my first national camp and do not push my shoulders a lot and be humble on and off the pitch."

Another first-time driver, Jobby Justin, said that coach Stimac has been working on how the whole group can be "physically, mentally and tactically stronger."

"He [Stimac] has established a tactical plan for everyone, he has spoken to us personally, mentioning what is expected of us, obviously that is something that I cannot share, it is just for us," said Justin, who has also registered with ATK on the ISL side.

"Personally, I am learning from day to day, I am getting stronger day by day, there are several aspects of a camp, diet, discipline, training sessions, etc. I am learning a lot from the new coach, their training has united us”, said the Kerala forward who played for East Bengal in the last two seasons.

He said coach Stimac shares his gaming and coaching experiences in Croatia and tries to motivate the players. "It's very particular with diet."

Justin made it clear that there is no place for any comparison between him and the legendary I M Vijayan. "There is only one IM Vijayan, every day I try to learn one or two tricks from him, he has been kind enough to give me information, he is inspiring," he said.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://scroll.in/field/925111/no-pressure-to-break-into-indian-football-team-michael-soosairaj-happy-with-national-camp-call-up