India head coach Bibiano Fernandes has warned his players against complacency when they take on Bahrain in their second match of the ongoing AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers here on Friday.
The India U-16 side made short work of Turkmenistan 5-0 in their opening match of the qualifiers, and courtesy the result they are on an unbeaten run of 12 matches.
But Bibiano on Thursday made it clear to his players that it was not the time to be complacent.
"There is a very fine line between confidence and complacency. Yes, we have won 12 matches in a row, but we also need to be careful that we do not get complacent, especially at this stage," Bibiano said ahead of the match.
"The AFC Qualifiers is what we have been working towards over the course of the year. A bad 90 minutes can ruin all the hard work that the players and the coaching staff has put in over the course of the last few months," he added.
While he is happy about the India's "winning habit", Bibiano feels that it is now time to work hard and push through the group stage.
"Winning is a habit, and it has become a good habit for us. I am glad that my boys are putting up good results one after the other, but this is not the time to think about that," the coach said.
"Right now, we have to put our heads down, keep working hard, and push through the group to ensure qualification for the AFC U-16 Championship next year."