What did India learn from the draw against China?

Credits: AIFF

Last Saturday for the first time in history, the Indian football team played on Chinese soil. With the Asian Cup on the horizon, the International friendly in Shanghai took added importance. In an intense game at the Suzhou Sports Centre, the two neighbours played out an entertaining 0-0 draw. Indian football fans learned a lot about their team as the big tournament approaches.

A well-organized team

It was a surprise to no one that China dominated possession. What most people were waiting to see was how India will react to the Chinese surge. As expected China began the match with pace and energy.

The Chinese kept coming with wave after wave of attacks but India did not give in. The team remained disciplined and organized and did not allow the Chinese any easy efforts on goal. Ultimately, the Indians were successful in taking the sting out of China's game. Without the ball, it was a near perfect performance by Stephen Constantine's team. The performance exhibited to Asian rivals that the men in blue are a hard to beat outfit and will not be mere pushovers in UAE.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's foreign move pays off

The reason behind India's success in ensuring China did not score was an exceptional team performance. Every member of the side performed their defensive roles adequately especially the back four.

Kerela Blasters' centre-back Sandesh Jhingan who was given the captain's armband in China has quickly become a fan favourite due to his commanding presence in defence. However, if there is one performance that stood out and covered the faults of everyone else, it is that off Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

The Bengaluru FC goalkeeper was a wall in front of goal and determined to not let anything go in. He made save after save to make sure the score stayed goalless. While he is back playing in India now, not so long ago Sandhu had a three-year tenure in Norway with Stabaek. While he did not play as much as one would wish, the improvement and progress in his game are there for everyone to see.

The former East Bengal goalie is a perfect example of how important it is for Indian players to play their trade abroad. The All India Football association must ensure that more players get an opportunity at doing so.

Improvement in attack needed

Though India's defensive performance deserves laurels, their attacking display did not aspire much confidence. Despite having a couple of golden opportunities to score, India's overall effort with the ball left a lot to desire. Too often, the Blue Tigers wasted fabulous counter-attacking opportunities by losing the ball easily.

Quite evidently, ball retention and transition from to defence to attack is something Constantine needs to desperately work on. Throughout the match, India's formidable front duo of Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua were left isolated.

If India wants to compete against stronger sides, they need to ensure their two best-attacking talents get more touches and service. Due to the short height of the strike duo, one was left wondering how efficient a strategy is repeatedly trying to play it long and bypassing the midfield.

With a player like Anirudh Thapa in midfield who is capable at driving from the middle of the park, India is capable to attack in a different way and one that will bring the best of their star players.

A result to be proud of

While there were encouraging signs and concerning factors visible in China, the result is something, the team should be extremely proud of. Yes, China is yet not in the list of elite Asian football teams but they are still a level above India. In 17 previous encounters between the two nations, China won 12 and 5 were draws.

Despite not having the results to show for, China's investment in football is well documented. The fact that Italy's World Cup-winning coach, Marcelo Lippi is their manager shows a big difference between the two countries. Despite riding their luck on some occasions, coming out of an away game without defeat to the Chinese is an extremely encouraging result for Indian football.

More friendlies needed

The only way for the coach and players to get an accurate representation of their progress and adaptation to tactical ideas is by playing more matches. At the moment, it does not seem that India is playing enough games prior to the Asian Cup. The last International break saw most senior players rested as the national team was involved in the SAFF Cup.

The game against China is India's only match this month. On the other hand, most other nations are playing two games this week. So far, there is no official confirmation of schedule for the November break. In a time frame where AIFF could have easily scheduled six fixtures, India will end up playing only two or three games. Quite evidently, India is just not playing enough matches before the big tournament.

A tournament of the nature of Asian Cup is not a place to learn but to execute your ideas. If India really wishes to progress, they desperately need to play more matches like the one against China. It's only if the team gets more matches to play with each other can it improve their weakness and develop an understanding with each other.

While coach Stephen Constantine divides opinion with his tactics and selections in the country, one cannot deny that he has not been given enough time to try different players, formation, and tactics.