India to face Syria in First match of Nehru Cup

Captain Sunil Chhetri and new coach Wim Koevermans

 

Footfalls at Nehru Stadium have thinned. The stands are silent most time of the year. Movements on the football turf are restricted too. The ghostly ambience is a reflection of the sport as football craves for attention in the Capital.

The Ambedkar Stadium is time and again ravaged by political outings and the Nehru Stadium is a grim reminder of the sluggish progress that football has made for many decades now.

The Nehru Cup, starting on August 22, brings football action of some kind to the Nehru Stadium. Ambedkar Stadium would have been an ideal venue for this tournament. If Bob Houghton had continued as coach, we would have travelled to the Ambedkar Stadium in old Delhi.

Instead, the event will now be staged at a swanky venue, even though the game, sadly, may not match the glossy conditions.

Indian football faces a daunting task under new coach Wim Koevermans, the former Dutch international expected to work miracles. He is not singing any eulogies other than making basic encouraging observations. He knows his job and begins it with a stern test at the Nehru Cup.

In a team game, it is rare for individuals to dominate and India clearly falls woefully short in this area. There is not an individual to step into the shoes of the redoubtable Baichung Bhutia.

Indian Team:

Strengths:
The squad’s strength is obviously the home support and the fact that with them being the lowest ranked side in the competition, the pressure will be slightly less on the squad. There have been a whole host of changes in the playing squad as well, meaning that Koevermans has handed the whole team a clean slate, and if the side plays as fearlessly as their U-22 counterparts, then India could very well surprise a few sides in the competition.
Weaknesses:
Apart from the new playing style, which is alien to many Indian players, the core of the side also looks very inexperienced and slightly wobbly. While the attack seems decent, even after Jeje Lalpekhlua’s exclusion, the central midfield and defense is not India’s strength. In a playing philosophy where central midfielders are perhaps the  most integral part of the gameplan, India’s options, though talented, lack experience at the highest level.
In defense too, Gouramangi Moirangthem is coming off a very poor domestic season, while Raju Gaikwad too was in and out of the side.

Key Player : Sunil chethri