AFC Asian Cup, India vs Syria: Blue Tigers need to rectify their mistakes in one final push

Drawn into one of the toughest groups at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, the Indian football team finally has a chance to be the aggressor in a game rather than largely playing to defend their goal. Against world No. 25 Australia and 68th-ranked Uzbekistan, the Blue Tigers, 102nd in FIFA rankings, gave a good account of themselves in patches, but the gulf in class was always going to have a telling effect, resulting in 2-0 and 3-0 losses. Now they face World No. 91 Syria in their final Group B game with only one hope - to secure three points and progress to the last-16 of the Asian Cup for the first time. With four top third-placed teams guaranteed a spot in the last-16, India are still mathematically alive in the tournament despite having 0 points. However, with all third-placed teams currently having one point minimum with two on three and one on two, nothing less than a victory will work for India. Syria are a side well known to the Blue Tigers from the Nehru Cup. In six matches so far, India hold the edge with three wins, two defeats and one draw. The last time they faced each other was very early in Igor Stimac’s tenure in 2019 which ended in a 0-0 draw. Given the history and the importance of the occasion, there’s no point hanging back and hoping for a miracle. AFC Asian Cup 2023: How India can still qualify for last 16? For India to write their destiny in the way they want, Sunil Chhetri and Co will need to be the team willing to take risks against a side that has so far conceded only one goal across two matches. However, India need to be wary of a few things. With a resolute 4-4-2 formation and advantage of physicality over the Blue Tigers, the Eagles of Qasioun are capable of hitting India where it hurts most. Against Australia and Uzbekistan, India’s biggest weakness was losing shape under pressure and a lapse in concentration. Ahead of the Syria game, Stimac admitted that India’s reactions and defensive shape have been a problem. Former India footballer Henry Menezes concurred with the remarks and said that the team needs to be on their toes. “We cannot say that India did not give a fight in the earlier games,” the football commentator and expert told Firstpost. “We had three good chances against Uzbekistan and if one had gone in then things could have been different. We made mistakes in the defeats and that led to the goals. “Syria is a team we know very well. If you look at our head-to-head, one can hope for India to clinch a positive result. We need to have our best game. We had problems at the back. Our concentration has to be higher and our defensive approach has to be stronger and when we have the ball, we must look to attack. We have to ensure that we don’t lose the game defensively and go out to win the match.”

Stop the attack In the first game, India kept Australia at bay for the first 50 minutes before a goalkeeping error allowed two goals to creep in. Against Uzbekistan, the quick start by the White Wolves caught the Indian defence napping and the opening goal came as early as the fourth minute. The key is going to be not conceding the first goal (or any goal). Syria have managed just one shot on target in the two matches. They have had the same playing XI and the same three substitutes in the first two games. Their first-choice players are either going to be tired or coach Hector Cuper could be forced to bring in players who haven’t had a lot of game time so far in the tournament. This gives India a golden opportunity if they can manage to sort out their defensive issues. One change the team can make to freshen things up could be bringing back Deepak Tangri in midfield in place of Suresh Singh Wangjam after two physically demanding games. Tangri impressed in the defensive midfield position against Australia. We could also see Naorem Mahesh Singh partnering with Lallianzuala Chhangte on the wings and creative midfielder Brandon Fernandes starting in place of Anirudh Thapa with Shahal Abdul Samad replacing him later. “I feel we need to have defence-first approach. Our players are not afraid of passing and transition with the ball is also good. That’s one place where we have done well. Whether it’s 5-4-1, 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, we need to ensure that we keep the midfield tight, don’t let the goals in and when the ball is with us make those runs from the wings to search for the goal,” added Menezes. India, however, just doesn’t need to be defensively sound, they will also need to find the goal, something they failed to do in two matches so far despite creating chances. Talismanic striker Chhetri has also been guilty of spurning opportunities. He’s looking to make amends against Syria. “I can assure you, we haven’t scored not because of want interest or will, but because it wasn’t easy and also we did miss some chances,” Chhetri said in a press conference on the eve of the match. “Even in the last Uzbekistan game, Rahul’s header, Mahesh’s shot, my deflection. The same chances they got and they went in. So, this is the margin that you have in a big tournament. Come Syria, I hope we can fix this problem and the next time I see you, you can say we did score for India.” Chhetri’s farewell Talking about Chhetri, the Syria game could end up being his final AFC Asian Cup match in a glittering India career that began in 2005. While many expected the 39-year-old to bid goodbye after the tournament, the skipper has decided to stay on at least till the end of the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. Nonetheless, with three Asian Cup editions under his belt and four goals in the tournament, Chhetri would leave behind a mark on Asia’s biggest international football tournament. For former India international Menezes, who has seen Chhetri from close quarters, the 39-year-old must find a way to stay connected to the game and inspire the fraternity. “He is one player who has shown that if you keep yourself fit you can play for very long. He has been an inspiration for the youngsters. I don’t want him to go out, even if he plays for 10-15 mins, he can make big contributions. He is a great motivator and he should find a role with football forever.”