Football technical director aspirant Lillo comes

New Delhi: Spanish manager Juan Manuel Lillo, one of the applicants for Indian football Technical Director`s post, visited the Ambedkar Stadium and got a first-hand glimpse of the national players.

Lillo watched the Indian team train for more than an hour along with All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das. The 46-year-old, who is credited to have introduced the 4-2-3-1 formation in football, is in the capital on an invitation from AIFF commercial partners IMG. Sources said Lillo had not come for a formal interview but to get familiarise with the Indian football set-up.Lillo, the youngest coach to have managed a La Liga team in the early nineties, was also introduced to national coach Armando Colaco. While Lillo didn`t speak to the media, apparently because of his inability to speak English, he exchanged pleasantries with Colaco. "I told him that we keep the ball and play," Colaco said. The Goan is keen to have an interactive session with Lillo and discuss ways about betterment of football in the country. "It was just to get a feel and he is leaving tonight," Das said.As discussions turned to his plans for the World Cup qualifiers against UAE, Colaco said slowing down the pace of the ball will be crucial. He said the international friendly against Qatar will be important as their style of play is similar to UAE`s. PTI