The lessons...
By Atishay Agarwal
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| You Guys Can Be Proud! Team India Did Put Up A Fight Against Aussies, Bahrain and Korea |
The Indian national team is back from Doha after the group stage of Asian Cup 2011, having lost all three games against Australia, Bahrain, and South Korea, conceding 13 goals, and scoring thrice.
However, realists all over the country won't be too displeased with our performances, and it indeed was a learning experience like no other for the current squad, in their entire careers.
But what have we fans/pseudo-pundits, learned after watching our team play? Perhaps some of the following:
(A Lack Of) Fitness
We've probably known this since forever, but never has the national team's below-par fitness level been exposed the way it was in Doha. In all three games, our opponents looked two or three notches above us in terms of pace, strength, and stamina. Looking at the positive side of it, at least we now know exactly how far behind we are physically, which will hopefully lead to steps being taken to ensure the kids of today reach the level required.
What Kind Of Football Do We Want To Play?
What has been a problem with the Indian team over the years, despite their successes in tournaments like the Nehru Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup, is the lack of identity when it comes to the way they play the game. Bob Houghton has done a good job with the national side, but even after five years at the helm, he hasn't been able to help the lads come up with a particular style of play which would suit their skills. This is not to suggest that we should try to play like Spain, not at all. The fans won't mind even if we play like a Stoke or Blackburn and climb up the rankings, but there has to be a certain style.
At the moment, one doesn't know what to expect while watching India. It seems they try and pass the ball for a while, and if it doesn't work a few times, they keep hoofing it to the likes of Yadav (Understandable, since he's a big lad), Chhetri and Bhutia (Ridiculous). To their credit, the latter two make the best of a bad situation, but really, we can't go on like this forever.
No Creativity In Midfield
While a few players stood out during the group stage at different moments - Renedy, Abhishek, and Gouramangi against Bahrain, Chhetri and Surkumar against South Korea, Nabi against Australia, and Subrata Paul overall, it's worth noticing that neither of our central midfielders had a decent game at the tournament.
Both Climax and Pradeep couldn't cope at that level, and misplaced one pass too many even when they were on the ball. The situation cries out for a change of some sort, with more importance being give to midfielders who are comfortable on the ball, are good passers, and look to go forward and create chances at every opportunity.
Time To Step Up
There were many younger players waiting in the wings back home, who would have loved to be there in Doha with the rest of the squad. Perhaps now is the time, after having given the older generation their moment in the big time, to groom these youngsters and give them opportunities at the international level.
And this doesn't just mean starting the likes of Mohammed Rafi and Sushil Kumar, but giving some new names a chance as well. Hopefully, preference will be given to fitter and faster players, who can pass the ball.
Never Say Die
One of the major positive aspects emerging from the Asian Cup, and perhaps which has kept all Indian football fans reasonably happy despite the three defeats, is the spirit and fight shown by the lads on the pitch. They kept their head down and continued battling despite going one, two, or three goals down, and defended India's pride.
The game against Korea comes in for special mention. Park Ji Sung and co were simply in another world when it came to technique, pace, and passing, but the back four and Subrata Paul worked their socks off to prevent a cricket score, especially in the second half. This is where Bob Houghton does deserve a lot of credit, and if we can maintain this mentality and couple it with better skills, we'll be on our way up sooner than you'd think.
Look For Skill, Not Height
Speaking of skills, this Asian Cup busted many an Indian's myth about our footballers. For years, we've heard declarations like, "The talent is there, but there's no money", or "Our players are skilful, but the pitches are bad", or "We are not behind the rest in terms of skill, but only on fitness".
Well, the truth was out there in front of our eyes, which made it overly evident that we were nowhere close to any of our opponents when it came to skill. Barring Chhetri, who showed some nice touches, and Renedy, whose delivery and finishing was superb, none of the players really showed much skill on the ball.
The kids of today must be encouraged to work in this direction. We are all talking about height at the moment, but what's the use of the extra inches if the player doesn't have the requisite skill to keep possession? Everyone knows Spain didn't win the World Cup because of their height, and while taller players must be preferred in the case of two equally-skilled players, no 'minimum height cut off' should come into play in younger age categories, as is being mooted for in some quarters.
Forget The World Cup, For Now.
This is a sad truth, but those who were hoping to see India challenge for a 2018 World Cup spot will have to realize that it is not going to happen. We are seriously off the pace even at the Asian level, and with training facilities and overall football infrastructure still not up to scratch, we will probably have to wait for well over a decade before we seriously stand a chance to be a part of the showcase event that celebrates the beautiful game.
However, realists all over the country won't be too displeased with our performances, and it indeed was a learning experience like no other for the current squad, in their entire careers.
But what have we fans/pseudo-pundits, learned after watching our team play? Perhaps some of the following:
(A Lack Of) Fitness
We've probably known this since forever, but never has the national team's below-par fitness level been exposed the way it was in Doha. In all three games, our opponents looked two or three notches above us in terms of pace, strength, and stamina. Looking at the positive side of it, at least we now know exactly how far behind we are physically, which will hopefully lead to steps being taken to ensure the kids of today reach the level required.
What Kind Of Football Do We Want To Play?
What has been a problem with the Indian team over the years, despite their successes in tournaments like the Nehru Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup, is the lack of identity when it comes to the way they play the game. Bob Houghton has done a good job with the national side, but even after five years at the helm, he hasn't been able to help the lads come up with a particular style of play which would suit their skills. This is not to suggest that we should try to play like Spain, not at all. The fans won't mind even if we play like a Stoke or Blackburn and climb up the rankings, but there has to be a certain style.
At the moment, one doesn't know what to expect while watching India. It seems they try and pass the ball for a while, and if it doesn't work a few times, they keep hoofing it to the likes of Yadav (Understandable, since he's a big lad), Chhetri and Bhutia (Ridiculous). To their credit, the latter two make the best of a bad situation, but really, we can't go on like this forever.
No Creativity In Midfield
While a few players stood out during the group stage at different moments - Renedy, Abhishek, and Gouramangi against Bahrain, Chhetri and Surkumar against South Korea, Nabi against Australia, and Subrata Paul overall, it's worth noticing that neither of our central midfielders had a decent game at the tournament.
Both Climax and Pradeep couldn't cope at that level, and misplaced one pass too many even when they were on the ball. The situation cries out for a change of some sort, with more importance being give to midfielders who are comfortable on the ball, are good passers, and look to go forward and create chances at every opportunity.
Time To Step Up
There were many younger players waiting in the wings back home, who would have loved to be there in Doha with the rest of the squad. Perhaps now is the time, after having given the older generation their moment in the big time, to groom these youngsters and give them opportunities at the international level.
And this doesn't just mean starting the likes of Mohammed Rafi and Sushil Kumar, but giving some new names a chance as well. Hopefully, preference will be given to fitter and faster players, who can pass the ball.
Never Say Die
One of the major positive aspects emerging from the Asian Cup, and perhaps which has kept all Indian football fans reasonably happy despite the three defeats, is the spirit and fight shown by the lads on the pitch. They kept their head down and continued battling despite going one, two, or three goals down, and defended India's pride.
The game against Korea comes in for special mention. Park Ji Sung and co were simply in another world when it came to technique, pace, and passing, but the back four and Subrata Paul worked their socks off to prevent a cricket score, especially in the second half. This is where Bob Houghton does deserve a lot of credit, and if we can maintain this mentality and couple it with better skills, we'll be on our way up sooner than you'd think.
Look For Skill, Not Height
Speaking of skills, this Asian Cup busted many an Indian's myth about our footballers. For years, we've heard declarations like, "The talent is there, but there's no money", or "Our players are skilful, but the pitches are bad", or "We are not behind the rest in terms of skill, but only on fitness".
Well, the truth was out there in front of our eyes, which made it overly evident that we were nowhere close to any of our opponents when it came to skill. Barring Chhetri, who showed some nice touches, and Renedy, whose delivery and finishing was superb, none of the players really showed much skill on the ball.
The kids of today must be encouraged to work in this direction. We are all talking about height at the moment, but what's the use of the extra inches if the player doesn't have the requisite skill to keep possession? Everyone knows Spain didn't win the World Cup because of their height, and while taller players must be preferred in the case of two equally-skilled players, no 'minimum height cut off' should come into play in younger age categories, as is being mooted for in some quarters.
Forget The World Cup, For Now.
This is a sad truth, but those who were hoping to see India challenge for a 2018 World Cup spot will have to realize that it is not going to happen. We are seriously off the pace even at the Asian level, and with training facilities and overall football infrastructure still not up to scratch, we will probably have to wait for well over a decade before we seriously stand a chance to be a part of the showcase event that celebrates the beautiful game.
