it is unlucky that first game killed by referee and second by rain, I strongly believe that India could have win both match if it played in normal way.
But please don't be disappointed, We can make it as a new era as our coach told and we can concentrate on next games. it is not that only WC qualifier which happenes in 4 years. instead we have nehru trophy, saf games and challange cup and some other friendies such as against Pakistan in London.
Our next main target should be challange cup and to qualify for the next asia cup. I believe dftnly we can achieve this and perform well in asia cup.
Moreover AIFF should conduct more tournements and make Indian Football rocks. Cheers..
Rather than focusing on international friendlies we should concentrate on Junior team. Try to qualify for WC at the junior level first. We have a developing u 19 team in which players like DIKA can still play. And we have hopes from U 16 Team which was in IMG academy. Hope they qualify for U 16 afc championship and from there to u 17 WC.
Guys, I went to the match, and it was an amazing experience. To grab an equaliser in stoppage time was so magnificent and dramatic. My dad kept on saying we should leave 5 mins before final whistle, but i said i wanted to stay the whole match, and it paid off.
I was right behind the goal for India's 2 goals and saw them crystal clear.
Here are things i noticed that you might have missed on TV(i dunno since i have not seen the telecast)
Their first goal should have been saved. I don't know how it appeared on TV, but i was sitting right behind the goal, so i would say i had 2nd best view next to the goalkeepers. The header touched Karanjit's hand and went into the net. I thought he had enough time to push the ball for a corner.
Sunil Chhetri was ordinary. In the first half he was offside on every other occasion when someone tried to find him, and worse, he didn't even make an attempt to track back. In the 2nd half, he didn't chase any ball that was meant for him. Later in the 2nd half, all players started crossing to Jeje instead. And, when Sunil had the ball he would try to dribble past defenders instead of passing or shooting. In the dying seconds, there was one moment when he could have passed the ball and released Jeje, but he decided to shoot with his left from outside the box. He should have been subbed. I don't think he is physical enough to play gulf nations. But his technique is quite good, so i think he is suited to play against Eastern Asian oppositions.
Raju and Gourmangli are great defenders. They were spot on.
Ralte, when he was brought on, played well.
The full backs didn't play well. They left huge gaps open which led to the first goal. But, then, i guess India had to attack.
Had the rain not been there, we would have been thrashed really badly.
Jeje is a superstar in the making. He was my man of the match for India today. Played amazingly well. He chased every ball, and had unlimited stamina. He has the physicality to bypass these strong defenders. He's pretty quick too.
UAE are a much better team than us. Face it. Even it would have been a fair first leg, we would have been beaten convincingly. The gap between the 2 sides is huge, even if the scoreline won't suggest it. They have more stamina, much faster, more physical strength and most players have great amount of skill.
BTW, during half time, the UAE subs were practicing near the goal where i was sitting. They really have a sense of humour. The whole crowd was abusing them in hindi, but they thought we were cheering them on! So they were practicing crosses+headers combo. Every time one of them scores, they would celebrate the goal as if it counted, and the crowd would go mad! It was a great experience. I think one of them was the backheel-penalty lad, but not sure.
One last thing, UAE players play-act. There were 2 instances when a UAE player went down. He wasted a couple of minutes with the team doctor and got up to be absolutely fine. All this while, there were no players warming up on the touchline. If it was a serious injury, they would have been warming up.
Guys, I went to the match, and it was an amazing experience. To grab an equaliser in stoppage time was so magnificent and dramatic. My dad kept on saying we should leave 5 mins before final whistle, but i said i wanted to stay the whole match, and it paid off.
I was right behind the goal for India's 2 goals and saw them crystal clear.
Here are things i noticed that you might have missed on TV(i dunno since i have not seen the telecast)
Their first goal should have been saved. I don't know how it appeared on TV, but i was sitting right behind the goal, so i would say i had 2nd best view next to the goalkeepers. The header touched Karanjit's hand and went into the net. I thought he had enough time to push the ball for a corner.
Sunil Chhetri was ordinary. In the first half he was offside on every other occasion when someone tried to find him, and worse, he didn't even make an attempt to track back. In the 2nd half, he didn't chase any ball that was meant for him. Later in the 2nd half, all players started crossing to Jeje instead. And, when Sunil had the ball he would try to dribble past defenders instead of passing or shooting. In the dying seconds, there was one moment when he could have passed the ball and released Jeje, but he decided to shoot with his left from outside the box. He should have been subbed. I don't think he is physical enough to play gulf nations. But his technique is quite good, so i think he is suited to play against Eastern Asian oppositions.
Raju and Gourmangli are great defenders. They were spot on.
Ralte, when he was brought on, played well.
The full backs didn't play well. They left huge gaps open which led to the first goal. But, then, i guess India had to attack.
Had the rain not been there, we would have been thrashed really badly.
Jeje is a superstar in the making. He was my man of the match for India today. Played amazingly well. He chased every ball, and had unlimited stamina. He has the physicality to bypass these strong defenders. He's pretty quick too.
UAE are a much better team than us. Face it. Even it would have been a fair first leg, we would have been beaten convincingly. The gap between the 2 sides is huge, even if the scoreline won't suggest it. They have more stamina, much faster, more physical strength and most players have great amount of skill.
BTW, during half time, the UAE subs were practicing near the goal where i was sitting. They really have a sense of humour. The whole crowd was abusing them in hindi, but they thought we were cheering them on! So they were practicing crosses+headers combo. Every time one of them scores, they would celebrate the goal as if it counted, and the crowd would go mad! It was a great experience. I think one of them was the backheel-penalty lad, but not sure.
One last thing, UAE players play-act. There were 2 instances when a UAE player went down. He wasted a couple of minutes with the team doctor and got up to be absolutely fine. All this while, there were no players warming up on the touchline. If it was a serious injury, they would have been warming up.
I agree with you on most of the points.But only thing which I do not agree is the gap between us and UAE is huge.I have been watching indian football for quite a long time and mental strength of this indian team is admirable.It is never been easy from a 2-0 deficit in a span of 20 minutes.No doubt they are superior than us but the difference is 1-2 goals.If we can play regularly with these kind of opponents and replace aged players with young group I am more than sure that we can beat teams like UAE at ease.
Rather than focusing on international friendlies we should concentrate on Junior team. Try to qualify for WC at the junior level first. We have a developing u 19 team in which players like DIKA can still play. And we have hopes from U 16 Team which was in IMG academy. Hope they qualify for U 16 afc championship and from there to u 17 WC.
<!-- s:bow-plusone: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bow/plusone.gif" alt=":bow-plusone:" title="PlusOne" /><!-- s:bow-plusone: -->
and we should also look for any chance to host age group fifa tournament...which will give a huge boost to the football related facilities.....i would like our federation going for bid to get u-17 wc
Rather than focusing on international friendlies we should concentrate on Junior team. Try to qualify for WC at the junior level first. We have a developing u 19 team in which players like DIKA can still play. And we have hopes from U 16 Team which was in IMG academy. Hope they qualify for U 16 afc championship and from there to u 17 WC.
<!-- s:bow-plusone: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bow/plusone.gif" alt=":bow-plusone:" title="PlusOne" /><!-- s:bow-plusone: -->
and we should also look for any chance to host age group fifa tournament...which will give a huge boost to the football related facilities.....i would like our federation going for bid to get u-17 wc
Comments
But please don't be disappointed, We can make it as a new era as our coach told and we can concentrate on next games. it is not that only WC qualifier which happenes in 4 years. instead we have nehru trophy, saf games and challange cup and some other friendies such as against Pakistan in London.
Our next main target should be challange cup and to qualify for the next asia cup. I believe dftnly we can achieve this and perform well in asia cup.
Moreover AIFF should conduct more tournements and make Indian Football rocks. Cheers..
and we should also look for any chance to host age group fifa tournament...which will give a huge boost to the football related facilities.....i would like our federation going for bid to get u-17 wc
<!-- s:bow-plusone: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bow/plusone.gif" alt=":bow-plusone:" title="PlusOne" /><!-- s:bow-plusone: -->