Kickoff: Wednesday, August 20 2014, 15:30 IST (LIVE on DD Sports)
Plenty of room for improvement
India made a winning start to the series but the performance was far from convincing as they created very few clear cut chances from open play and could have easily lost the game as Pakistan wasted three golden opportunities in the closing stages. Coach Wim Koevermans was quite positive after the game but the performance was a reminder that India are not among the best teams in the continent and are expected to make an early exit from the Asian Games next month. Some of the Under-23 players impressed like Narayan Das, Sandesh Jhingan and Pronay Haldar while Mandar Desai showed promise but on home soil India should be playing better against Pakistan, who are not even one of the best teams in the sub-continent.
Koevermans can point to the fact that Sunday’s game was this group of players’ first real test since the start of the preparations last month but two of the three senior players should have fared better. Francis Fernandes lacked sharpness and was hardly involved in the game while Robin Singh got needlessly sent off and thus will miss this game. As pointed out by opposition coach Mohammad Shamlan also, India U-23 looked overdependent on skipper Sunil, who was once again their most dangerous player. There is plenty of room for improvement in all departments and it remains to be seen if Koevermans wishes to rotate the team or pick a side that he believes has the best chance of making it two wins out of two.
Perhaps some of the youngsters will be a lot more relaxed in the second game now that the first was won. Pune FC goalkeeper Amrinder Singh was unsure while dealing with crosses and set-pieces while substitute defender Shankar Sampingiraj was nervous after coming on for Jhingan. There were also too many mispasses with the quality in the final ball lacking throughout the game. Koevermans hasn’t got much time to ensure a vast improvement but his side must try to minimise the errors and show more authority in their display considering the fact that they have home advantage. Keeping all the negatives aside, Sunday’s win will have given the whole squad a lift as they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in front of a full house but anything less than a victory in this game could dent their confidence again and raise more questions about this side.
Seeking revenge
Being underdogs Pakistan were slight underdogs coming into Sunday’s game but the fact that they have been playing together for a long time unlike India wasn’t really evident as they rarely played as a team. Even when they had the numerical advantage, Pakistan struggled to impose themselves and when the chances did eventually come their way, the finishing was terrible. Even their highly-rated skipper Kaleem Ullah couldn’t keep his composure in front of goal and perhaps the responsibility of being captain at the age of 21 in a bilateral series on Indian soil got to him. After the game Shamlam pointed to the fact this team is young and still learning but because of his selection decisions, the man from Bahrain won’t get much sympathy from Pakistan football fans.
The reason is that Shamlan chose not to select foreign-born U-23 or senior talent, even failing to complete the maximum quota of three overage players. He even stated that unlike Koevermans, he has been in charge for a shorter period but Shamlan has actually got to spend more time with his players than the Dutchman for the Asian Games preparations. The international exposure gained this calendar year through five matches against senior teams hasn’t seemed to have brought maturity to Pakistan’s game as they made plenty of basic errors. They also felt the absence of winger Muhammad Adil as they created very openings when India had eleven on the pitch while some of their players even lost their temper during the game.
Revenge will certainly be on Pakistan’s agenda and they certainly would at least want to avoid a whitewash. Shamlan would be well aware that two straight defeats to India would not be well received by either the Pakistan public or federation especially considering he was given full authority to make bold decisions. But the former defender would have to be more aggressive as he only played with one forward for most of the first game despite the inexperience in the India backline. That showed a lack of belief from the Pakistan side and they certainly have to show more confidence if they want to level the series and return home with their heads held high. Pakistan will be boosted by the fact that Robin is suspended as the Bengaluru striker’s physical presence gave their defence a problem but Shamlan would also be hoping for his key players to step up.
Team News
India U-23
The goalkeeper and back four are expected to remain unchanged with Jhingan only coming off due to cramps on Sunday. Koevermans could rotate in midfield as Milan Singh could replace Pronay, who has a slight injury worry. The major change will be upfront though as Robin is ruled out due to suspension. Either Pune’s Thongkhosiem Haokip will be the direct replacement and operate as the target man or Alwyn George could start and play just behind lone striker Sunil. Francis is expected to keep his place despite a poor performance in the first game.
Possible XI: Amrinder Singh; Pritam Kotal, Joyner Laurenco, Sandesh Jhingan, Narayan Das; Francis Fernandes, Pronay Halder/Milan Singh, Lalrindika Ralte, Mandar Rao Desai; Sunil Chhetri, Alywn George/Thongkhosiem Haokip
Pakistan U-23
Shamlan is expected to have Kyrgyzstan-based winger Adil available for this game after missing out Sunday’s clash due to injury. Thus all three Dordoi Bishkek players – Adil, Saddam Hussain and Kaleem – could start and that will give the visitors a massive boost. Pakistan are likely to play two forwards in this game with former U-16 star Mansoor Khan an option to start alongside skipper Kaleem.
Possible XI: Ahsan Ullah; Faisal Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Ahmed, Ehsan Ullah; Muhammad Adil, Mehmood Khan, Saddam Hussain, Muhammad Riaz; Mansoor Khan, Kaleem Ullah
Key Men
India U-23 – Sunil Chhetri
The India captain got on the scoresheet once again on Sunday and showed great workrate to help out the midfield. He wasn’t at his complete best, wasting one great opportunity, and might have to raise his game even further in Robin’s absence.
Pakistan U-23 – Kaleem Ullah
It is possibly a bit unfair that Kaleem also has to bear the responsibility of leading the side as already there is a lot of pressure on him to do the scoring. But the 21-year-old would also be hoping that he is played upfront from the start and he would be looking to make up for the misses in the first game.
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title: “Friendly Preview India U 23 Vs Pakistan U 23” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-14” author: “Tammy Little”
Kickoff: Sunday, August 17 2014, 15:30 IST (LIVE on DD Sports)
Home Advantage
Although the India U-23 side are not serious medal prospects in the 2014 Asian Games, the AIFF have still tried their best to give Wim Koevermans and his boys adequate preparation for the tournament. The proposed tour to Spain didn’t materialise but the squad had a two-week camp in Czech Republic, where they also played three practice games. The results weren’t great as India only managed a draw and suffered two defeats against lower tier opposition but Koevermans and his coaching staff got an even closer look at the players, many of whom are playing for the first time under the Dutchman. Thus Koevermans and his assistants will have a better idea of the areas to improve upon the most and the two friendlies against Pakistan will help further in that aspect.
The preparation doesn’t end with the series with Pakistan as after that the team heads to China for another exposure tour and a couple of practice games. But facing a team that would also be competing in the Asian Games should help Koevermans decide on his starting eleven as he experimented a lot during the Czech Republic tour. Of course the match won’t only be about preparation as India are up against their arch-rivals on home soil and Koevermans will be well aware about the importance of getting a result. There will be slight pressure as well because Pakistan are a side India should be beating if they have any hopes of performing well in the Asian Games next month as the neighbours are not among the best teams of the continent.
There is no dearth of talent in the U-23 boys but it remains to be seen how quickly some of those players can make the transition from domestic to international football. Barring the three overage players – Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and Francis Fernandes – only three players have played for the senior national team – Narayan Das, Lalrindika Ralte and Alwyn George – with Amrinder Singh and Sandesh Jingan being part of the senior setup in the past but yet to make an appearance. So this group lacks in international exposure and that is where these two games should help in their development. Many of the players though have featured against Pakistan in age-group tournaments and will be eager to impress with the knowledge that various first-team slots are still up for grabs. It may only be a friendly on paper but Koevermans’ side will be expected to win and give the country a belated 68th Independence Day gift.
Plenty of International Exposure
There has been a contrast in the Pakistan U-23’s preparations for the Asian Games as they only started having a camp from August 4 while India’s preparatory camp began in July. Pakistan also haven’t had an exposure trip to Europe. But the fact is that their build-up to this edition’s Asian Games will be much better than the last as they are not only playing these two matches in Bangalore but will also have an exposure tour in Bahrain and after that there are reports of a possible trip to Vietnam. But above all, this series means a lot more than the football for Pakistan because ever since they hosted the India senior team in a three-match series nine years ago, our neighbours have been craving to play a similar set of matches on Indian soil.
A series involving the senior teams hasn’t been made possible so far and there have been several postponements of Indo-Pak football matches in recent years. So although these two matches are only between the U-23 sides of the two nations, it has finally broken a nine-year barrier and football fans of both countries will hope for similar matches in the near future also. Pakistan coach Mohammad Shamlan though will only have one thing in mind and that will be to win on Indian soil, which would give his boys a massive psychological boost ahead of next month’s tournament. Interestingly the Pakistan senior side is their U-23 team also as Shamlan has completely put his faith in youth and this group of players unlike their Indian counterparts have played five international matches this year against senior national teams.
Shamlan has also decided to discard foreign-born players completely both the seniors ones and juniors. They could possibly be the only participant in the football tournament of the 2014 Asian Games to not use their maximum quota of three overage players with Muhammad Ahmed being the only one. These two games will give a good indication of whether that was the right decision but one advantage Pakistan do have over India is that this group of players have been playing together since February and that too against opposition that is far superior than Koevermans’ team. While India have three seniors available, Pakistan will rely heavily on their Kyrgyzstan-based trio. Central midfielder Saddam Hussain became the latest Pakistani player to join Krygyzstan’s Dordoi Bishkek after Muhammad Adil and Kaleem Ullah and the away side’s hopes will depend heavily on their shoulders. Pakistan may be slight underdogs on paper but have the potential to win both games.
Team News
India U-23
Of the 25 players that made the trip to Czech Republic, besides goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh and midfielders Siam Hanghal and Alesh Sawant, the remaining 22 were all give some gametime. The starting XI though is likely to be the one that featured in the 2-2 draw with FK Banik Most. The defence looks inexperienced but the main problem for Koevermans is the lack of quality natural wide players. 22-year-old Mandar Rao Desai, who doesn’t even have enough I-League experience, is expected to start on the left wing with the versatile Francis on the right. The other two seniors – Sunil and Robin – should start upfront in a two-man attack and will get extra support because of their Bengaluru FC connection.
Possible XI: Amrinder Singh; Pritam Kotal, Joyner Laurenco, Sandesh Jhingan, Narayan Das; Francis Fernandes, Pronay Halder, Lalrindika Ralte, Mandar Rao Desai; Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh
Pakistan U-23
Right winger Muhammad Adil is expected to be left on the bench due to a knee injury and that could be a major concern for Pakistan as Adil is one of their most creative players. But the other two Dorodi Bishkek players – Saddam and Kaleem – will start with the former in central midfield and the latter upfront alongside young Mansoor Khan in a 4-4-2 system.
Possible XI: Ahsan Ullah; Faisal Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Ahmed, Ehsan Ullah; Bilawal Ur Rehman, Mehmood Khan, Saddam Hussain, Muhammad Riaz; Mansoor Khan, Kaleem Ullah
Key Men
India U-23 – Sunil Chhetri
Worryingly for India, the U-23 side also seem to be overdependent on skipper Sunil just like the senior team as he was their only scorer during the Czech Republic tour. But the 30-year-old seems to produce his best under pressure and will be aiming to inspire his side to victory in this series also.
Pakistan U-23 – Kaleem Ullah
There are high expectations from this 21-year-old forward and his responsibility has been increased by the fact that he has been named captain. Kaleem would be looking forward to playing against India’s inexperienced backline and is undoubtedly Pakistan’s biggest goal threat.
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