“Start with an attacking mood.” Khalid Jamil repeated this a few times in his typically staccato answers during the pre-match press conference before India’s 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore in Margao, which is also his first home game as the national team’s head coach.
“It is our home ground, we have to think positive. We have to be in an attacking mood from the start,” Jamil told reporters.
If India indeed come out with that attitude, those who have followed Jamil’s teams might see something familiar, something that had gone missing in India’s 1-1 draw in Singapore last week.
The 48-year-old’s appointment as national coach came close on the heels of a historic campaign with Jamshedpur FC, as it became the first Indian to guide a side to the semi-finals of the Indian Super League (ISL). Jamil’s approach with Jamshedpur was straightforward – score early, let the other team have possession and hit them on the counter while always remaining a threat on set-pieces, even throw-ins. This was dependent on his forwards taking their chances and defenders rarely committing mistakes.
In the case of the Indian team, this worked well when they faced higher-ranked opponents at the CAFA Nations Cup, even helping them beat Tajikistan and Oman. But it also meant that India played out a 0-0 draw with Afghanistan in that tournament.
Khalid Jamil has made it clear that he wants his team to take advantage of being at home and play with a positive mindset. (Photo Credit: AIFF)
Against Singapore, also ranked lower than India in the world standings, they needed a blooper from an opposition defender to score a goal. Moreover, two of India’s most dependable defenders slipped up – Sandesh Jhingan with two horrendous tackles to get sent off, and Muhammed Uvais completely losing track of Singapore’s pacy winger Shawal Anuar, leading to the home side taking the lead.
The missing early attack
The important thing to note, however, is that the initial burst of sustained attack which has been typical of Jamil’s teams in the recent past was missing against Singapore. If they can get that early goal at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday and then manage to close the door on Singapore despite the absence of the suspended Jhingan, India might just have a chance at securing all three points.
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Singapore had shown a propensity to make silly mistakes in their home match against India, particularly their goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud. He first spilled a routine collection a few minutes after India had gone down to 10 men but the ball, fortunately for him, fell to a teammate who cleared the threat. The goal that Rahim Ali scored may have started with defender Jordan Emaviwe’s bungled pass, but Izwan left a lot to be desired with his recovery.
Rahim Ali, what a time to score your first international goal 🇮🇳👏#SGPIND #BlueTigers #ACQ2027 #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/tRJXthQgWu
— FanCode (@FanCode) October 9, 2025
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Jamil’s approach, however, starts with his side scoring an early goal, which pretty much brings one back to India’s lack of potency going forward. Their clumsiness in the final third of the opposition half and their chronic inability to find goals has been their greatest undoing for as long as one can remember. Even now, 41-year-old Sunil Chhetri remains their most dependable source of outfield goals, as evidenced by Jamil starting the veteran in Singapore.
Qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup was always going to be an act of walking the thinnest of tightropes for Jamil. India’s chances were already hanging by a thread, to put it mildly, when he took over after mundane performances at home against Bangladesh and in Hong Kong. The most likely outcome of these situations is for the thread to snap and India will have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to prevent that. Fatorda might be a good place to start this magic trick.
