Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019: 3 areas Stimac needs to fix before the World Cup qualifiers

#2 Central Midfield

The central midfield department is another position needing improvement. There is no shortage of energy and work rate, but creativity has been inferior. It was the same case under Stephen Constantine, but things failed to change in the Kings Cup. The forwards are overreliant on the innovation from Anirudh Thapa, who has been provided with the freedom to help out the forwards.

Pronay Halder has been the mainstay in the midfield department - leading the young midfielders alongside him. Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul, and Amarjit Singh showed their glimpses in the Kings Cup, but they are yet to cement their place in the starting lineup.

Rowlin Borges has been used as a defensive midfielder for his country, but he was well off in an advanced position - proving a great asset in that position with his former club NorthEast United last season. There is no scarcity for quality, but Stimac needs to find the perfectly-balanced midfield which can contribute to the defensive and offensive areas.

About the author

Sudarshan has been covering European and Indian football for Sportskeeda for
around 9 years. An Information Technology graduate and a post-graduate in International Business Operations, he has previously worked with Chennai Super Kings, Chennai City FC and the SunRisers Hyderabad handling their social media for OPN Advertising and Ting Labs. He has also travelled with the SunRisers for around 2 years, shooting content and interviewing stars such as David Warner, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jonny Bairstow.

An ardent Liverpool supporter since 2008, Sudarshan's favorite footballer is Steven Gerrard, who impressed with his unmatched leadership during the Reds' challenging periods. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp as the German's connection with fans and preference for high-intensity football resonates with him. Sudarshan aims to better analyze football matches by relying on websites like FotMob and DataMB and excels in swiftly covering breaking news events.

Mario Gotze's winner in the 2014 final is Sudarshan’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and believes that Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham could emerge as the successors to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he enjoys binge-watching movies, learning new skills to enhance his professional development, and participating in marathons.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari