What went wrong for India?

4-0

That was the final scoreline in a match which was really men against boys. India were handed a defeat which could have been worse had it not been for some aggressive defenders and an acrobatic goalkeeper, all of whom came alive in the second half, a far cry from the first half when they were as good as dead.

Not much was expected from this match since it was an exhibition match, and India who is ranked 162 in the FIFA world ranking were facing probably the most enigmatic team in the world, Bayern Munich.

Being a live spectator, watching the demolition unfold in front of my eyes in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was a first time experience and it was made more special with the sublime and beautiful display of football by Bayern Munich. The farewell given to the Indian football hero, Baichung Bhutia was touching to say the least. Hearing his name being chanted every other instance hence becoming unmindful of the likes of Gomez, Lahm and Schweinsteiger on the field, filled every Indian heart with pride. His popularity exceeded my expectations.

Fare thee well

But despite all these positives, there were some glaring errors in the kind of playmaking the Indians were executing on the field. Exhibition matches are not supposed to be taken seriously as there is no merit involved for they are just practice matches, but the kind of football they played should sent the alarm bells ringing.

• Midfield

The match was pretty much lost in the midfield. The passes provided by the defense line to the midfield were promptly squandered allowing the Bayern players, who thankfully toned down on their aggression as a goodwill gesture, to take advantage of the situation and create an attack of their own. There was absolutely no chemistry between the midfield and the attack line as well. And seeing this was a match being watched by one and all because of Bayern’s involvement in it, they really should have put in their A-game.

Robben managing to fox defenders.

India’s style of moving forward in the attack involved futile attempts to dribble past giants like Boateng, Batstuber and Tymoschuk in the midfield itself and not realising that there was ample space in the wings for players to widen their play area and hopefully create chances. Bayern’s play involved spreading the game onto the wings where either the wing defenders or midfielders would be present so as to receive the ball and open up the opposition’s defense, a tactic that India didn’t even try.

• Fitness

Bayern’s physical presence was immense. Their defenders were huge. They simply towered over the Indian strikers especially Bhutia who was having immense problems in receiving the ball let alone retaining it.

Another problem that one couldn’t help but notice was the speed at which the Indians were running on the field. They simply couldn’t catch up to the likes of Ribery, Kroos, and Muller. They were outfoxed and outplayed.

Ribery outpacing the Indian players

After the match was over, the Bayern Munich players, in their cooling down regime, were running all around the ground for at-least 20 minutes whereas the Indian team was spotted running at a geriatric’s pace and gossiping while they were doing it. Their’s lasted for five minutes at the end of which they crashed onto their benches – a clear indication of the “desi” stamina.

• Attack

The match wasn’t entirely one-sided. It was in the second half that the defenders and the midfielders started synchronising their actions. The defense became more rugged and the passes to the attacking line became more accurate but they were simply not good enough. They were still unwilling and unable to proceed attacks along either the left or the right flanks.

Bayern star, Arjen Robben was in praise of the atmosphere and the pitch but was also of the opinion

“what the Indians need to work on is the technical aspect of the game and their facilities.”

Many argued that a Chhetri-less team shouldn’t be expected to play well but one help but contemplate the impossibilities of Chhetri running a one-man show because let’s face it, he is no Messi. What the team should realise is that they played bad football. They should strive for fluency in their play and not let the SAFF victory against Afghanistan in the final get too far in their head. This exhibition match should very well act as an eye opener for the authorities who manage Indian football, AIFF. They should take into cognizance the expert opinions and reform the team if we are to have any future in competitive international football.