Is Team India not capable of playing one-off international friendlies?

The question has to be asked after last Wednesday’s international friendly in which Team India was beaten 3-0 by Tajikistan, and if these one-off matches on international FIFA match days have any value for the Indian national team without a proper training camp.The match in Khujand was the third one-off international friendly under Wim Koevermans since he took over, and it also was the third defeat after losses against Singapore (0-2) away in the city state and Palestine (2-4) at home in Kochin.

I have heard and read from a number of persons attached to the Indian national team that it is important to play international friendlies to keep the national team playing and test ourselves against superior opponents. A great idea and surely something which we should do, but somehow I do not see it working for Team India and the AIFF as these matches are played after three/four day pre-match camps, which isn’t working with the Indian players.

I just can quote Germany’s Philipp Lahm, who after the German’s disappointing 3-3 draw against Paraguay said that only two proper sessions ahead of a match do not prepare a team for such games. If Lahm says it in a German context, what does this mean for India?

Maybe the AIFF and Wim Koevermans should consider using the FIFA international match day double-headers in March, June, September, October and November in each calendar year. First play a weaker opponent, maybe someone from within our South Asian region and then a stronger opponent, and if before these matches we have a 10 day camp, then there is real value in playing such matches.

Otherwise Team India plays these games, we go in every time underprepared and then suffer embarrassing defeats, which do not help the team develop. Whatever the coach says, losing at regular intervals isn’t something which the national team should get used to and from the fans’ perspective, losing isn’t something that they like.

One has to be creative with national team football when there are no assignments, otherwise we lose the opportunity to prepare the team for competitive matches. Further such match dates need to be used for high profile marquee matches against top sides from Europe and South America or otherwise our only aim remains to win the SAFF Championship, which wouldn’t be acceptable to me.