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This is certainly a different Asian Cup for India. Making an appearance after eight years, the Blue Tigers have silenced the critics with their impressive performances in the previous two matches. They have thrashed Thailand 4-1 in their opening match.
They may have ended second best against hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their second match, but the Sunil Chhetri-led team won hearts of everyone for their positive attitudes on the field.
Come tomorrow and India will be facing Bahrain in their last group match. Though mathematically a draw would be enough for them to secure qualification for the next round, the Indian team are targeting no less than a win.
For that, they need to rectify the mistakes they have done over the past two matches. Like Thailand and UAE, Bahrain too will be a tactically superior side and it would take a lot of courage to beat them.
Let us look at the three things which India should do to get a win:
#3 Avoid silly mistakes in defence
Going by the previous two matches, Indian defenders have performed quite well, at least more than what was expected from them.
But against Bahrain, a must-win match for the team, they should be prepared for more challenge as Bahrain boast some of the best-attacking players in the continent.
One of main weakness for this Indian defence is their position while blocking a set-piece. Their frailties were exposed in the match against Thailand when the opponent scored with ease.
Bahrain have more tall players and surely they’ve watched India’s weaknesses. India should try to not to foul within the edge of the box. While for a corner, they should position themselves well to head the ball away.
Sandesh Jhingan and Anas Edathodika, the two central defenders will have to take more responsibility.
In the previous match, one silly mistake from Anas cost India the first goal. Also during the play, the gap between Sandesh and Anas was increasing and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was seen asking them to get close to each other.
Sandesh and Anas have not played many matches together in this season. So the usual understanding was sometimes missing from their game. Against players like Mohamed Al-Romaihi, both of them need to work hard on the field.
Concern remains with left-back Subhasish Bose too, who found it difficult to block Khalfan Mubarak when the UAE was attacking from the flanks. Bahrain too have Ali Madan, who is pacy and likes to operate from the flanks. Subhasish have to more cautious in his approach.
#2 Need to keep the possession more in the midfield
Against UAE, India had only 32 percent possession at the end of the match. Against Thailand, it was 35 percent. Not a stat that Indian players should be proud of.
In fact, in their friendly matches against China and Jordan too, they were the second best team in terms of ball possession.
It is true that possession doesn’t always reflect the story of the match. But it’s also true that teams get an upper hand the more they have the ball on their feet.
The European style of football teaches us how to keep the possession without affecting the speed of the game. India should take lessons and watch more video before they take the field against Bahrain.
This is not something which could be done overnight. But there is certainly room for improvement. One of the main reasons for not keeping possession is the number of miss passes. India committed many during their game against UAE.
The midfielders were responsible for not keeping the ball on their feet. Also, while making forward passes, they didn’t use intelligence. Even skipper Sunil Chhetri made some glaring mistakes while making a pass.
India needs to play short passes in the midfield using their intelligence. Whenever a player gets the ball, other teammates around him should look for spaces to receive it.
They should keep it simple and should not look for tricky passes. Also, India should not make a miss pass on their own half.
#1 Keep attacking from the first minute
Till a few years ago, whenever the Indian football team faced a tougher opponent, they would just sit back and defend. Attack was never an option and 0-0 scoreline was a respectable result for them.
The current crop has made it a myth. India, with a host of young talents, creates ripples among the opponents with their attacking mentality.
Matches against China, Thailand and UAE are some of the best examples. In fact, this team reminds us of our bygone era, when the Indian team dominated opponents like Japan, South Korea, Iran.
To win their match against Bahrain, India should play with the same attitude. They should attack right from the kick-off to make their intent clear. Bahrain should not be allowed to dominate the game.
Some changes can also be made. Though Ashique Kuruniyan had shown enough talent in the previous two matches, a certain Jeje Lalpekhlua is waiting in the wings and maybe it is the best time for Stephen Constantine to unleash the Mizo Sniper.
India has another option in Balwant Singh and everyone knows what he can offer.
To make the attack more potent, Halicharan Narzary could be replaced by Jackichand Singh in the left flank.
Though Jackichand likes to control from the right, but he is not much uncomfortable in the left side also. Jacki and Udanta Singh operating from the two flanks is the best possible combination for India.
No matter who plays, millions of fans will be waiting to see the happy faces after the match.
