Maharjan, assisted by Sunil Shrestha in his coaching job along with goalkeeper coach Mrigendra Mishra, is of the view that success in age group can motivate the senior national team to end its two-decade-long title drought at the international level.[break]
The last time Nepal had won an international title was back in 1993 when the Nepali national team had defeated India in tie-breaker during the South Asian Games held in Bangladesh. Since then none of the national teams, including age group teams, has won any international title. Nepal is hosting the upcoming SAFF Championship after nearly two months.
"Success in age group can help instill winning mentality and will be vital in boosting the morale of senior players," said Maharjan, who also faces the challenge of avoiding Nepal´s fate in the last edition, when Nepal had finished third on home ground. Pakistan is the defending champion and India the runner-up.
"Besides this we have taken the tournament as a warm-up for the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers to be held in September. The result in the SAFF Championship will have an impact in the AFC qualifiers as well," said Maharjan.
A 33-member ANFA Academy team has been undergoing special training twice a day since last month at the Chyasal ground to prepare for the tournament. Among them, seven were picked about a month earlier following open selection in various regions. Majority of the remaining players were selected some four years earlier for the academy.
Maharjan is likely to downsize the team to 30 members by the end of this week. Currently the team consists of 11 midfielders and defenders each, six forwards and five goalkeepers. Defender Chhiring Gurung picked minor injury during a friendly match against Armed Police Force on Friday, while goalkeeper Srijan Shrestha has yet to recover from the injury he picked two weeks ago and is likely to be ruled out of the tournament.
Maharjan, a former national player who has been looking after the age group team of ANFA Academy for nearly two years, said good scoring ability of his forwards and sense of midfield to create opportunities are the bases for his claims.
"Nepal has been lacking in attacking quality for a long time, be it senior or age group team. But the U-16 players have better scoring ability and the midfield is creative. The players are physically, technically and tactically in good shape."
"As Nepal has been at a disadvantage in terms of physique, we have also given priority to it while selecting players."
Coach Maharjan is, however, cautious regarding the opponents and considers Afghanistan and India as the major obstacles in Nepal´s way. "Afghanistan has been improving a lot in recent times. They are strong tactically as well as physically," said Maharjan. "Indian team is also undergoing training under youth project in Kolkata."
Four age group players -- forward Bimal Gharti Magar, center midfielders Hemanta Thapa and Anil Gurung and defender Ananta Tamang -- are also undergoing a closed camp training with the national team for the senior level SAFF Championship.
Asked if their absence in the youth training will hamper their understanding, Maharjan said they have been with the team for the last four years and will be released when needed. "The training with the national team will provide them additional knowledge and will also be helpful in increasing their physical endurance. They will also gain high level of confidence. They will be back in the youth team after a couple of days." Gharti Magar had already made his debut for the senior national team during a friendly against Bangladesh a year earlier.
Maharjan, however, has concerns regarding some of his players. "Some players lack good communication in the field. I am working on improving this."
The youth team has also been playing friendlies with A division teams and U-23 national team. "We played two friendly matches against the U-23 team and are scheduled to play with Manang Marshyandi Club (MMC) on Friday."
Only 7 teams
Among the eight members of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), only seven countries will compete in the U-16 SAFF Championship. ANFA Vice-president and Spokesperson Lalit Krishna Shrestha confirmed this on Sunday. "Maldives have not registered their name for the tournament, which means they will not compete in the event," said Shreshtha, who did not disclose the reason for Maldives´ withdrawal.
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