Despite the goalless draw away to Afghanistan, India still remains in a position of relative comfort in the second round of World Cup qualifiers with two big home matches in hand. The first of which will be again against Afghanistan on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Tuesday. In Group B, India is second in the table behind Qatar and is a point ahead of Kuwait.
Igor Stimac opted for an all-out attack approach in Abha last Thursday with four forwards but only for his side to put in an insipid display against a robust Afghanistan side. Stimac pointed out to the four chances India had with two big ones falling to Manvir Singh and Subhasish Bose, who both failed to find the target.
While there are pressing issues in other areas of the pitch, the lack of goals and inventiveness in the final third has been emblematic of India’s issues with zero goals in its five-match winless run.
India is a side which neither creates high-quality chances nor does it create them at will. In the recently concluded Asian Cup, where India exited in the group stage, it finished with an xG of 0.61 – the second lowest among 24 teams.
“I cannot help the players there in the front,” lamented Stimac. “It’s up to them to show their individual quality and whether they can make good decisions. Us coaches can help players and organise their game in the first and second-third [of the pitch]. In the final third, it’s up to them. Show the quality. But it’s not easy because, most of these guys are not playing these crucial positions for their club, apart from Sunil. Chhangte is recently playing as a center forward and Vikram is playing from the left, while Manvir is playing on the right wing or as a wingback.”
Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri (right) along with head coach Igor Stimac (left) talking to the media ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Afghanistan in Guwahati on Monday. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR / The Hindu
Naturally, the eyes will turn to the 39-year-old Sunil Chhetri, who will be playing his 150 th match in India colours, but he too has struggled to find the back of the net. Chhetri has scored just once in his last 16 matches for club and country. Vikram Partap Singh has been in a rich vein of form with six goals for Mumbai City FC, but failed to keep his composure on the ball during his senior team bow in Abha.
When the game was stretched in the second half, substitute Brandon Fernandes offered quality on the ball in the no. 10 role, but after Afghanistan regained control, the Indian midfielders failed to find the Goa attacking midfielder. It will be interesting to see if Stimac opts to shift to a 4-3-3 system to offer more control and creativity in the middle to try and break down a physical Afghanistan side. The injured Sahal Abdul Samad will be a big miss.
READ | India vs Afghanistan: Stimac puts job on the line in FIFA World Cup third-round qualification bid
Afghanistan has been helped by the return of some key senior players for the ongoing international window after 21 players had boycotted the team over alleged mistreatment by the country’s federation in November.
Head coach Ashley Westwood, who came into the job in November, has also had to juggle logistical duties along with the coaching role in a bid to get players back into the team.
“It’s been hard for us. We are reliant on FIFA and other countries for financial help, so we have to plan everything at the last moment. You also have to speak to every player and try to convince them to come back with a promise of certain things. But it’s somewhat part of this job and something we are learning with time,” said Westwood.
Zohib Amiri, who will bring the curtains down on a nearly two-decade-long international career after Tuesday’s qualifier, heaped praise on Westwood for trying to help resurrect Afghan football.
“It was the lowest point in the national team. We had to build this team from zero. All the boys boycotted the national team. We had to work hard to bring the players back. We played with the local boys against Qatar and Kuwait but now we have some good players back. We had to manage flight tickets and hotel bookings for several players before the national camp,” said Amiri.
Stimac remains quietly confident in taking his team into the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. The 56-year-old, who is under contract until 2026, said he would quit the job if fulfill the task.
A lot will ride on the home qualifier against Kuwait in June, where India will come into the match after a long training camp, but before that, it can’t take its eyes off Afghanistan.
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