'4-2-3-1' formation best system for Indian football, says Stimac

New Delhi : Football head coach Igor Stimac believes the '4-2-3-1' formation is the "best system for Indian football".

"We have had to adapt to a system where players would play more with the ball and spectators would love to watch. We have switched to 4-2-3-1 where the game starts from the goalkeeper and the centre-backs play a major role in controlling the game," Stimac said on Wednesday during the international virtual coaching conference, as per an AIFF release.

"There are connected movements and players need to be intelligent to make quick decisions. Full-backs need to make a run forward so they find free spaces in between and hurt the opponent. They need to learn to run behind the opponent backline. Even wingers can come inside and fullbacks go the side-lines to utilise free space," he added.

Stimac, who coached Croatia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, further referred to the Indian team's improvement in recent times since switching to the aforementioned formation.

"We are really proud of the players how they have executed their job so far. They have been doing the right job. There has been an overall improvement," Stimac said.

"Number of passes as well as the duration of playing with the ball has gone up significantly. We are constantly working on improving the numbers and raising the bar," he added.

Stimac also advised Indian coaches to utilise every moment to enhance their "knowledge" and guide the players to improve their "mindset" in order for them to become a better player.