Another unpredictable football season has begun with European leagues kicking off their campaign to fill their trophy cabinet with more silverware. However, what's going on with the Indian national team and their current state of affairs?
India had beaten Bhutan 3-0 on August 13 in a friendly, which took place because the former team's proposed tour of the United States did not materialise. Before the tour got scrapped, the 23-member squad was slogging it out in a pre-season camp in New Delhi. After beating Bhutan, a team ranked 192nd in the Fifa rankings, India take on Puerto Rico, who are 114th in the table, on September 3 in Mumbai. India are currently 152nd in the ranking table and, hence, their match against Puerto Rico, a friendly organised by Fifa, will be tough one to win.
But with India failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, what significance do such matches have? India ended their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign at the bottom of the five-team Group D, with just three points secured via a lone win over Guam in their home leg match. The tiny Pacific nation of Guam ended above India at fourth with seven points and that in itself says something.
However, the silver lining is that the Sunil Chhetri-led team has made it to the final qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Football Confederation Cup. India made it into the final qualifiers by beating Laos 7-1 on aggregate. The final round comprises 24 teams, of which 12 will qualify for the showpiece tournament. Given India's away record, making it to the top 12 is unrealistic.
However, coach Stephen Constantine, who has guided India to a South Asian Football Federation Championship victory, knows how to get the job done. If India can play their best football in the final qualifying round, they can progress or at least make other teams take notice.
