Dutt, who guided Ba to the OFC Champions League final in 2007 and within a whisker of the FIFA Club World Cup, left the Men In Black last season.
One of Fiji football’s top domestic coaches, he now finds himself in charge of an U-17 national team hastily pulled together for this competition.
“We’ve been together for a very short time. We came together on December 1 and our final leg of preparation came just two weeks later. In total its just 22 or 23 days together.
“Its hotter than in Fiji but we will have to adjust to the situation and the conditions,” he said.
Despite the short, sharp, time spent in camp, Dutt and his youngsters know they must deliver top performances if they hope to equal Fiji’s best ever placing at U-17 level of runners-up achieved in 1999.
In that edition, New Zealand had qualified as hosts of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, a situation that left the remaining 9 OFC nations facing the gigantic task of turning over Australia.
Fiji won their way out of Australia’s group with four wins before toppling the Solomon Islands 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final at Churchill Park in Lautoka.
Sadly for Fiji they couldn’t pull off the miracle required to beat Australia being soundly beaten 5-0 in the final.
With Fiji facing the Young All Whites in their first match, Dutt downplayed the enormity of the task and prefers a game-by-game approach instead.
“We’re prepared to play New Zealand and after that we’ll look at the second, third and fourth game.
“Excitement is there but also we have to keep in mind they are defending champions, so we will give them respect but try our best to play the football we want to,” he says.