India 0 - 0 China: 5 takeaways from the game

Despite the game being labelled as a friendly, India knew a draw, if not a victory against China would be a huge milestone for the Blue Tigers and also provide momentum for the AFC Asia Cup next January. With India ranked 97 and China ranked 76, a draw was also a positive result. The Red Dragons dominated the game having the majority of the ball and hitting the crossbar on several occasions. A few stunning saves from Bengaluru FC goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu ensured that India kept a clean sheet and went home with a draw.

Constantine and co have started their journey to the AFC Asia Cup with a great result. India will also take on the likes of Saudi Arabia and Jordan in the near future, games which will provide a good assessment for the Indian team to gauge how well they can perform in the Asia Cup. While the friendlies provide the option to experiment, India must also look to pick up wins as it gives them momentum going forward. The draw was a huge positive as the development of football in China in the past few years has been on a much larger level compared to India.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

#1. Playing players in their natural positions

Subhasish Bose is one of the best left-backs in the country, if not the best. However, under Constantine, Narayan Das usually got the nod over Subhasish Bose. Since friendlies are a good time to experiment, Constantine decided to start Subhasish Bose as the centre-half partner to the new captain, Sandesh Jhingan. However, it wasn't very successful.

Subhasish Bose has played left-back for most of his career and also started his campaign this season with Mumbai City FC as a left-back. Dealing with the physicality and pace of the Chinese forwards was always going to be a tough task for the 23-year-old. Much of the responsibility to defend fell on Sandesh Jhingan and the Indian defence was caught out frequently.

While Subhasish did make a few significant tackles, it was clear that he was uncomfortable at that position and was always second best in aerial duels and one-on-ones. Experimenting with the squad during friendlies is a good procedure to find the right starting 11 but the team must retain the natural positions of all players in order to give the best fight to it's opponents.

#2. Sandesh Jhingan lives up to the responsibility

Sandesh Jhingan stood up to the role of captaincy and led India to a goalless draw

When Constantine announced that there would be a new captain for the game against China, many fans were in doubt as Sunil Chhetri was seen as the perfect leader for the team leading the charge up front and giving 100% commitment to the team. But, giving the captaincy to the Kerala Blasters skipper, Sandesh Jhingan ended up being a masterstroke.

The centre-back performed as a true leader on the pitch. Winning aerial duels, making key interceptions and providing a solid defence against a very strong Chinese side. While Sunil Chhetri continued pressing with high work rate without the captain's band.

The experience of Chhetri and a load of captaincy on Jhingan ensured a very vocal duo with one leading the line and the other providing solidity at the back. This could be a leadership combo that provides success to the Blue Tigers going forward.

#3. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu proves he's no.1

The no.1 spot in the team is decided

For many years, the spot of the goalkeeper of the national side has been highly contested. But over the past year, one man has proven that the position between the posts for the national side belongs to him. This man is none other than Bengaluru FC's number 1, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

After returning from a stint in Europe, Sandhu wanted to return the favour to his country. He joined Indian club, Bengaluru FC, where he slowly became a favourite of the fanbase - 'The West Block Blues'. His song is chanted loudly throughout Sree Kanteerava Stadium everytime he is on the pitch and he proved why in this game.

The Chinese attack was quick, strong and aggressive. With the Red Dragons already having more possession, they were able to breach into the Indian half with ease. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was called to action several times during the game. Along with an impressive one-on-one save against Gao Lin, he also made an acrobatic save to keep Xiao Zhi's header away from goal.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu controlled the box and made sure that all aerial crosses went straight into his palms. Being nearly 6 foot 3 inches, it is no surprise that the Indian goalkeeper has a higher reach than most players and is able to easily grab any cross before it goes onto the head of the opposition strikers.

#4. More youth is needed going forward

Jerry Mawihmingthanga can provide the energy and quick feet to make the difference offensively in the games to come

While it is fair to say that there isn't much to complain about the starting 11 and the performance from the team, the lack of clear-cut chances will surely be a concern for the Indian side. The most evident chance was during the dying moments of the game when Farukh Haji got a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper but was unable to convert. The chance was provided by Nikhil Poojari, another youngster who played on the right after substituting Udanta. The only other chance would be Pritam Kotal's shot after some quick link-up on the right side of the pitch.

Out of the 23-man squad, some decisions baffled fans around India, like the exclusion of players such as Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Manvir Singh while players like Sumeet Passi, who fails to start over Jerry Mawihmingthanga for Jamshedpur FC, featured in the side. This meant a lot of firepower and energy was missing from the Indian side, which was evident in the game.

Jeje didn't gain his confidence till late in the game and had much less impact while Pronay Holder wasn't a threat offensively. Another youngster, Anirudh Thapa, impressed with his performance as he conducted play from midfield and played some perfect through balls to connect the midfield and the two strikers. Overall, if more youngsters are given a chance to play, we might see some more attacking opportunities from the team in the future.

#5. Tactically flawed approach

While the draw was a positive result and the team put up a strong defensive performance, a lot of concern has been raised over the tactical side of the game. The first twenty minutes of the game was chaotic and all over the place where India never really had any structure or formation in place. Some shambolic defending and cheap give-aways of the ball was all India contributed to the game for the first twenty minutes. This should not be the case heading forward. The tactical side of the game is currently has way too many flaws and Constantine must have a look.

Playing a 4-4-2 is clearly no longer the best formation. While the defence might be solid, the midfield game is lost as only one central midfielder in Anirudh Thapa is able to control play and retain the ball and the strike partnership of Chhetri and Jeje needs time to grow, time which they won't get due to the Hero Indian Super League season.

With Jeje low on confidence and not firing, dropping him for a more dynamic young player who can retain the ball in midfield could allow India more possession leading to more chances. The experience of Chhetri could also see him drop into a central attacking midfield role with Jeje as the striker, the possibilities are limitless. But the formation requires a change in order to control the game more from midfield and getting the two strikers more involved in the game

Another interesting observation is the continuous skying of the ball upfield from the goalkeeper. The Chinese defenders are physical and stand at 6 feet. Compare this to the height of Jeje, who stands at only 5.6 feet. Clearly, the Red Dragons have the advantage when it comes to winning the aerial duels in their third of the field. However, what China lacked was pace.

Many a time, India created chances with quick link-up play and clever passing. Building play from the back would have not only raised the confidence of the Indian team when passing the ball around and building possession but would have also led to more chances for India. Chances which would have been buried by the likes of Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpheklua.