If one watched the Indian national football team taking on Iran in the CAFA Cup on Monday, one could almost mistake it for the year 2018. All of the signs were there – a 4-5-1 Indian set- up with all 11 players neatly divided into three lines of resistance, all camped well within their own half. An intensely offensive opposition constantly probing, only for the Indian defence to punt the ball far up the field and ask the near-impossible from the forward line. Any form of control in midfield largely non-existent (23% ball possession through the match, according to the broadcaster).
All that was missing was Stephen Constantine behind the touchline barking instructions. But after his win against higher-ranked Tajikistan last week, new head coach Khalid Jamil stuck to his guns and aimed to play for a positive result, if not positive football, against the Iranians.
Two late goals saw India go down 0-3 at Hisor, Tajikistan, against a vastly-superior team that consistently reaches a 32-team World Cup, is easily Top 4 in Asia, and broke into the FIFA Top 20 rankings just this week. While the result may not look flattering, holding a near-full strength Iran to a solitary goal for 89 minutes was a fairly positive outcome for an Indian team that has struggled to find any in recent times. There was also a ray of hope for the national team in the way Jamil managed his resources.
The Indian coach chose to keep some of the country’s best offensive players on the bench at the start. No Lallianzuala Chhangte, Mahesh Singh Naorem or Manvir Singh on the pitch, but each of them made an appearance in the second half after India conceded their first goal in the 59th minute (an aerial duel lost by Rahul Bheke, that allowed Iran’s No.10 Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh to tap the second ball in). India had kept Iran at bay in the first half, not conceding a goal, despite giving away corners by the dozen.
In the second period when the Asian giants got tired, Jamil let loose his offensive players – a move that showcases his ability to make use of every advantage possible. It was in continuation to his first game as Indian manager – utilising dead-ball situations and essentially making the best use of the players available.
But a clear gulf in quality can’t be papered over by strategy.
India gained a smidgen of control after the 70th minute. Earlier, the midfield was non-existent when in possession, but the introduction of Jeakson Singh brought some improvement. Shades of a transition game started to appear – fuelled in part by Iran pacing themselves down. But just as it started to seem like the solitary goal would be the decider, India’s defensive frailties were painfully exposed.
Mehdi Taremi, who recently joined Olympiakos after a season at Inter Milan, came on as a substitute and immediately made a mark in the 89th minute. He threaded a through ball with the intent of allowing Alireza Jahanbakhsh with just custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to beat. Sandhu saved the first shot, then saw the subsequent attempt from Taremi rebound off the post, only for the ball to land at the feet of Ali Alipour at the far post for a tap-in to double Iran’s lead. The Indian defenders were nowhere near blocking any of the three shots in the sequence.
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The final nail came in injury time with Jahanbakhsh putting Taremi through and the striker making no mistake to score Iran’s third of the night.
Losses to Australia at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Qatar in the World Cup qualifiers, and now this result against Iran – against some of Asia’s best teams, India in recent history have chosen to park the bus. It remains the only logical approach for a system that has consistently failed to produce footballers that can ply their trade in Asia.
With one win and one loss – both against higher-ranked opponents, Jamil has started to outline how his teams are going to play. This is not the India under Igor Stimac, who would have long off-season camps and then try to play an international game that would have no resemblance to its domestic variant.
What will be interesting is the next game against Afghanistan, a bogey team of sorts for the Indians. In their last five games, the Afghans have emerged with three draws and a win – a World Cup qualifier victory at that. India’s fall, even at the South Asian level, could plumb new depths should Jamil not conjure a win. The result against Iran was expected, and accepted, but Afghanistan has the potential to be the real gut punch of this tournament for the Indians.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
