National coach Bob Houghton's plea of protecting country's top players from too much domestic football found support from unexpected quarters on Wednesday with Mohun Bagan coach Carlos Roberto Perreira saying appearing in too many local fixtures is detrimental to the development of Indian side.

"Playing 50-60 domestic club games does not do much for the national team. They need to play more international matches," Perreira said.

The Brazilian said the only way to improve is to play against better opposition which would help in the improvement of individual players as well as the team as a whole.

• Images: India wins Nehru Cup | Congratulate the Indian team

Last season, India played only three full internationals and Houghton said that was the main reason for their FIFA ranking sliding down to 165 at one stage.

In contrast, this year has seen a fortnight-long preparatory camp followed by an exposure trip to Portugal and the five-nation Nehru Cup in New Delhi, which India lifted after beating fancied Syria in the final.

India's improved performance has impressed Perreira and he felt the team is on the right track under Houghton's guidance.

"The team played very well. Its performance against Syria was very good. The important thing is now to maintain this standard of play," said Perreira, who previously coached East Bengal.

He is also in agreement with Houghton, who has proposed to the All India Football Federation that several traditional tournaments such as Santosh Trophy and Durand Cup be made age-specific events.

"But he should desist from taking too many players from one club as it weakens them for domestic competitions," Perreira said.

National captain Baichung Bhutia, along with defenders N S Manju and Deepak Mondal, were in action at the Nehru Cup and hence could not appear for their club in the Calcutta Football League.

While Bhutia has returned to lead his club in the 29th Federation Cup underway in Ludhiana, Bagan will have to do without the services of Mondal and Manju, who are out of action due to injury.

Mondal injured his knee during the Nehru Cup match against Bangladesh while Manju hurt his groin while training in Kolkata ahead of the Federation Cup.

Their absence, along with that of Sanjeev Maria, is a major worry for Bagan, who begin their title defence with a match against ONGC [Get Quote] on Thursday.

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