India has been pitted against football heavy-weights such as hosts UAE, Thailand and Bahrain in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup which will be held in January next year. Despite qualifying in cruise-control, which saw India seal their place with two games to spare, the team’s goal-keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu remains realistic and feels his side will go into the competition as underdogs.
Sandhu is expected to play a key role in the UAE come January, The team management will be banking on his past experience with Norwegian Eliteserien side Stabaek as the team faces higher-ranked opponents in the Asian competition.
The 26-year-old called for an inspired performance from his side with tougher opponents in fray. “We can’t be complacent there (in UAE),” Sandhu told reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday. “We have to put in our best performances if we are to advance.
“The teams are quite strong. UAE and Thailand missed the world cup by a small margin. It’s a difficult group.
“We have to go in as underdogs. We can’t take things for granted and be complacent. Can’t sit here and imagine us winning a game or taking a point from another. We need to take it one game at a time. We’ll play Thailand in the opener and take it from there,” he added.
Sandhu and his team-mates will begin their preparations for the tournament in earnestness when they cross swords with Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei in Mumbai for a round of friendlies in the Intercontinental Cup from Friday.
The India keeper feels the event is an ideal platform for the team to iron out the creases before the Asian Cup. The competitiveness of the teams will make for an interesting contest he reckons.
“I feel all teams are strong. New Zealand had almost made it to the World Cup. Chinese Taipei had recently beaten Bahrain, Kenya too have won the African Cup a couple of times. Can’t take anyone lightly. Its a great chance for us to learn and prepare for the Asian Cup,” Sandhu said.
Trust in defence
How Sandhu performs holds great relevance to the fortunes of his team. Sandhu, though, feels the team has performed up to the mark in the recent past, conceding fewer goals.
“We have been decent defensively,” reasoned Sandhu. “If you look at the number of goals we have conceded in the last two years, they have decreased. That was the aim. Now, we need to take this opportunity (Intercontinental Cup) and start experimenting on aspects where we can do better,” he added.
India conceded just five goals in the six games they played in the qualifying group. Sandhu credits the improvement down to the understanding and trust he has developed with his defensive line.
“It is very crucial for us to have good communication at the back. In the past two-three years we have improved on it. Conceding fewer goals is our aim. To help out the team in that way is a priority for us. I have a simple funda that I have to maintain good coordination and communication with my defence partners. That’s what I try to do. I try to help them and prevent problems before they arise,” Sandhu said.
And regular game-time has been an important factor too.
“If you have the same players who are doing well for the team and they are coming back and forth for the camp, the more time you spend with each other, it only helps improve the communication, coordination and the trust between the players. So, if you miss the ball you know there’s a player behind you to clear it. That trust is essential. I think I have that co-ordination with the likes of Sandesh (Jhingan), Anas (Edathodika), Pritam (Kotal) and even the young guys like Subhasish (Bose), Jerry Lalrinzuala),” Sandhu said.
“I dont think the national team have played many games since I have come back to India. But, despite that our coordination has not degraded and only improved. We played a very good game against Kyrgyzstan away. The conditions were tough and the pitch was very tricky. The way our defence stuck in, in the second half was quite commendable. It was due to communication and coordination that we could pull it off. There were chances for us to get one more goal back but we were unlucky,” he said.
India Squad for Intercontinental Cup
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith, Amrinder Singh, Sanjiban Ghosh.
Defenders: Lalruatthara, Davinder Singh, Pritam Kotal, Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Salam Ranjan Singh, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Narayan Das, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Laldanmawia Ralte, Seiminlen Doungel, Dhanapal Ganesh, Souvik Chakraborti, Md Rafique, Rowllin Borges, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Bikash Jairu, Halicharan Narzary.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Balwant Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Manvir Singh, Alen Deory, Ashique Kuruniyan.
Intercontinental Cup Fixtures
June 1: India vs Chinese Taipei.
June 2: Kenya vs New Zealand.
June 4: India vs Kenya.
June 5: Chinese Taipei vs New Zealand.
June 7: India vs New Zealand.
June 8: Chinese Taipei vs Kenya.
June 10: Final