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A poor first-half display saw India suffer their second successive match in the Hero Intercontinental Cup. The host nation lost 2-5 against DPR Korea and almost crashed out of the tournament.
India will play against Syria, the strongest side of this tournament. To qualify on the final, they not only have to win by huge margin, but also have to depend on the other teams.
India found themselves down by three goals within half an hour of the game. Though their performance improved in the second half and reduced the margin thanks to Lallianzuala Chhangte and Sunil Chhetri, defensive errors cost them again.
Here are the five talking points from the match.
#5 Stimac’s experiment with the first XI continues
It is a well-known fact that Indian coach Igor Stimac likes to experiment with his side. He has been in charge of the team for five matches. Till date, he has made 28 changes to the team and has handed debut to several talented youngsters. It would be no wrong to say, some of these experiments worked wonders, while other gambles failed poorly.
Against DPR Korea, he fielded nine new faces that played the game against Tajikistan. Starting from the first front, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was replaced by Amrinder Singh. Sandesh Jhinghan was reinstated at the heart of the defence with Subhasish Bose as his partner.
There was no Rahul Bheke as Pritam Kotal got back his favourite right-back position, with Jerry Lalrinzuala taking the left-back position. Apart from Rowllin Borges, there was no experienced face on the field. However, Jobby Justin was given his first start in the national colours.
Though India are almost on the verge of crashing out of the tournament, it is understandable why Stimac is obsessed with giving everyone a chance to show their mettle. He has a tougher task in hand in future and he needs to settle the first XI as quickly as possible. This is a friendly tournament and there is no shame in bowing out, if he has found the right combination of players.
#4 Bitter-sweet game for Amrinder
Amrinder Singh is the right man to replace Gurpreet Singh Sandhu under the bar. In the past few months, he had shown why he should be there in the team. The commanding performances in the Indian Super League were a case in point.
It was a mixed match for the talented 26-year-old. He saved some, he conceded some. But to get a permanent place in the Indian team, he needs to show some top notch performance in the coming days.
He first mistook left India trailing by a goal. Jong Il-Gwan’s left-footed free-kick was perfectly positioned but Amrinder should’ve covered the right side instead of moving to the left. If he was two or three inches ahead, the goal could’ve been saved. He almost a conceded a second goal a few moments later with his schoolboy error but somehow the danger was cleared.
However, Amrinder’s performance improved as the match went on. Just before the half-time, he made a beautiful save from another free-kick and this time, he took the right position!
#3 Indian Defenders make glaring mistakes once again
It was a very very disappointing day for the Indian defenders. They have not only conceded five goals, but the way they allowed their opponents to score was more frustrating. DPR Korea continuously exploited weak areas of the Indian defence and till the last minute, the Indian defenders found no answer.
With Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose, India have an experienced line-up to face DPR Korea. The only weak point was Jerry on the left-side. But even then, they looked so meek in front of an attacking Korean side.
Stimac may have played a gamble by fielding Jhinghan in the central defence. The Keralite never looked in his best form and fitness and there was also lack of communications between him and other defenders. Jhingan ultimately pulled his hamstring in the first half and was replaced by Adil Khan.
This match showed there is no replacement for Sandesh-Anas combination. Even Adil couldn’t perform what was expected from him.
It is safe to say that Pritam is well past prime. During the second goal, he failed to mark Sim Hyon Jin, who made the tough goal look so easy. There was no communication between him and Sandesh either. Rahul Bheke provided much solidity in the second half and might get the nod for the next matches.
Korea continued to press India from the right side, where Jerry was given the nod. The Chennaiyin FC defender failed to replicate the same performance and was found wanting on many occasions. His short stature didn’t help either to counter the tall and physically strong Korean attackers.
#2 Improved midfield performance saw India’s performance rise in the second half
A little bit of help from the midfielders in the first half would have helped India to reduce the margin. But the likes of Brandon Fernandes and Manvir Singh failed to rise on the occasion.
Brandon has proved himself in the last few matches and it was expected that he would again provide the inch-perfect crosses to Chhetri and Justin. But Korea understood India’s game-plan and kept Brandon under close eyes. As a result, the Goanese became desperate and lost his possession too many times.
Manvir was showing the correct approach in the beginning of the game, but eventually lost out the battle against more technically strong Korean players.
It was in the second half that India showed their true nature. Stimac brought Lallianzuala Chhangte and Udanta Singh and Indian attack got the much needed pace that it was craving for in the first half.
#1 Chhetri-Sahal-Udanta-Chhangte – is this India’s new attacking combination?
Critics have often been saying that India need a replacement for Sunil Chhetri to score goals. They need more attacking players who can create chances and convert those. Well, going by the second half performance against DPR Korea, Stimac must have found an answer.
Chhetri will turn 35 in the next month and is as solid as he was 10 years ago. But there is a need for new talents and it is safe to say that the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Udanta Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte would successfully carry the torch in the future.
Chhetri was left frustrated in the first half as he was not getting enough balls from the midfielders. But the situation completely changed in the second as soon as Chhangte and Udanta came in. Both of them brought the much needed pace in India’s attack. It was the combination of Chhangte and Chhetri that led to India’s first goal.
A few minutes later, Anirudh Thapa and Sahal made their appearance and the situation improved drastically. India suddenly found themselves roaring on the field and it was the brilliance of Korean goalkeeper Song who denied Indian counterparts a couple of times.
There were some instances when Sahal, Chhetri and Chhangte combined beautifully. It was Sahal’s understanding with Udanta that led to India’s second goal. Sahal also displayed some eye-catching skills and almost scored a goal.
This is the combination that India have been praying for so long and it all depends on Stimac how he uses them in future.
