A RevSportz Exclusive
While there were many positives to take from the World Cup qualifying match against Qatar, the one question that baffled football fans round the country was why Amrinder Singh was picked ahead of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu? More so when Gurpreet was the star of the 0-0 draw against Qatar at home in 2019. What was the thought behind the decision, and did it push India back with early goals conceded in both halves?
There were some other interesting calls taken by Igor Stimac, the coach, which raised a few eyebrows and resulted in considerable debate. We sought answers when we finally managed to speak to the coach past midnight.
“If you are asking why Amrinder, it’s because he is the main reason why Gurpreet is a different goalkeeper within the national team set-up when compared to his club form,” said Stimac. “It’s a reward for Amrinder’s work, dedication and discipline as a second-choice goalkeeper for the last four-and-a-half years behind Gurpreet. We know GSS can do well vs Qatar, but also need to see how good Amrinder can be at this level. While you need to focus on results, it is also an opportunity to test your bench because you won’t get any further opportunity ahead of the Asian Cup. Against Qatar, who are considerably ahead of us in the pecking order, we did get this opportunity. Frankly, priority was not the result but to get answers to doubts we have in recent years on Udanta [Singh] and Suba[shish Bose]. This is our last game prior to Asian Cup, so it was a win-win situation. I needed answers to make the final list for the Asian Cup on time.”
When asked what the gameplan was, Stimac, as always, was articulate. “The game plan was to take the game into the second half without conceding and then bring Sahal [Samad], [Naorem] Mahesh and [Ishan] Pandita to win the game for us,” he said. “It did not happen because we conceded early goals in both halves and that dented our chances. Having said that, we did create quite a few opportunities and that’s a real big positive for us. As I said to you, Qatar is ahead of us so we need to make sure we do well against teams like Kuwait and Afghanistan and qualify in the second position from the group.”
Did India miss Manvir Singh, the goal-scorer in the famous away win against Kuwait?
“Initial plans were to start with Manvir as No. 9 today and keep Sunil [Chhetri] fresh for the second half, but that couldn’t happen,” said Stimac. “But like I said, it was a win-win situation. We wanted to get some much-needed answers on some players and we did.”
Stimac, it is evident, is working with some well-thought-out plans. He knows India are still quite a distance away from challenging Qatar, who are the reigning Asian Champions. He also knows India will have an opportunity to play against higher-ranked teams in the Asian Cup in Doha, and wants to be the best prepared to do so. The away win against Kuwait has given him the cushion to experiment. With Kuwait winning 4-0 against Afghanistan, it is now a straight battle between India and Kuwait for the second spot. As long as India plays to potential against the Afghans and does well at home against Kuwait, there is every reason to believe they can make history by making it to the round round of the qualifiers.
“We have a very good chance,” said Stimac. “While there is still a long way to go, we have won the most important match against Kuwait. Qatar was never the team we could challenge. Not yet. We also need to be pragmatic in our approach. But we can certainly finish second and qualify, and that was always the ambition. We are working in the right direction, and with proper planning and preparation, will get there.”
What was heartwarming to see on Tuesday night in Bhubaneshwar was the crowd support. Even after the defeat, fans waited to get a glimpse of the Indian players and kept chanting the names of some like Chhetri. It is this momentum that we need to sustain and qualifying in second place from the group would give Indian football an unprecedented boost going forward.