Platt pleasantly surprised with Indian players

Kolkata: Impressed with Indian footballers, former England captain David Platt said some of them have changed his negative view about the playing style of the country's team.

"I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of Indian players. The quality of some of the players has surprised me.

I had heard more negatives on the Indian players' playing style but their quality and enthusiasm, eagerness to learn has surprised me," the 49-year-old said.

The former Manchester City assistant coach further said it is inevitable that the team would improve.

"It's going to take time but steps are in place to improve the standard of football in India. When you improve the individuals the whole team gets the help," he added.

"International players have got a lot of experience and it will improve the individual players as they will gain more experience. Once the individual players improve, it inevitably helps the national teams. There is no easy fix or quick fix.

It's very important to gel a team together."

"It's like your father saying oven is hot, but you don't feel it unless you touch it. So it's about getting the real experience. But they're getting there and it's going to take some time."

Talking about the ongoing Indian Super League, the FC Pune City coach said his side might be struggling but they're still in the run for a playoff berth.

"We have got three games left and we know that we are within the touching distance of top four. I don't think it's time to press the panic button."

"It's always a challenge, we have three games left. The points table is fluctuating on a daily basis. Everyday, it throws a new scenario. I have to score back to back wins to be back in the contention."