Kolkata: It takes a lot to faze Khalid Jamil but for once, the India head coach’s game face slipped. Will the players sleep well tonight, he was asked. Jamil recovered quickly and deadpanned that his team knew the importance of getting adequate rest.
Cut out mistakes, stick to the coach’s plan and give 100%, said Anwar Ali, the central defender and India’s most consistent player, sat alongside. Proof of that came in Bengaluru on September 25 when India held Panama 1-1. Panama is history, said Ali, but against a top-10 team with an array of stars, it is unlikely India will look to do anything markedly different from what they did against opponents ranked 44th in the world. Proof of that in recent past came in the run of three tournament wins in 2023, which took India back to the top 100, and the qualifying campaign in 2022 for the Asian Cup. If he starts on Saturday, it will be Sandhu’s 90 international.
Because you do not have time, “For the national team, it is important to choose the right player. Sometimes, it is what works best for India. They will try to be compact at the back and look to hit on the break, often bypassing the midfield, by going long. Long training camps have helped the national team bridge the gap between domestic competitions – where they play alongside foreign players who are usually better technically and tactically – and internationals. For Brazil, this is another opportunity to see new players as they rebuild after the World Cup. He is used to squads transitioning at clubs but doing that with the national team is different. But unlike at clubs, you get more time to think. Between them, goalkeepers Hugo Souza, Pedro Morisco and Otavio in the Brazil squad have played a total of three internationals.
“The result is not in our hands but if you give your best, anything can happen,” said Jamil. “This is perhaps for the first time in a long period that the clubs and the coach exchanged views, and the clubs said they would also help in building the national team,” Satyanarayan said in a statement on September 26. “I am in the process of finding my final squad,” said Ancelotti. “For Pedro, this could be the first time to demonstrate his skill,” said Ancelotti of the 22-year-old goalkeeper who has over 100 caps for his club Coritiba in Brazil. “It is an important game to start a new cycle of players,” said Ancelotti. The Brazil head coach spoke of India forward Ryan Williams, “who could be dangerous for us as he is fast” and his captain Marquinhos mentioned India goalie and skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu “who has played nearly 90 matches.
