India vs Singapore: Mohun Bagan compromise and tactical twists promise multiple layers

A compromise has been reached in the Indian football team, it seems. Angered by Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s refusal to release their players for the August national camp ahead of the CAFA Nations Cup, where India won a memorable bronze medal beating two higher-ranked sides, the Blue Tigers coach Khalid Jamil included just three from the Indian Super League (ISL) winners in the squad for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers match against Singapore away from home.

Only one of them — Liston Colaco — started the game. The other two — Deepak Tangri and Sahal Abdul Samad — came on in the second half after Jamil’s midfield pairing of Nikhil Prabhu and Macarton Nickson was overrun dominantly by Singapore in the first half, on their way to a 1-1 draw.

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Jamil set to opt for Mohun Bagan midfield duo

Nikhil Prabhu and Macarton Nickson had a total experience of five matches between themselves. That they were exposed so overtly in an international competitive game must not have come as a surprise to anyone. The CAFA Nations Cup, for all the reasons, is still a friendly tournament. Comparatively, the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers are a different beast. It’s a roadway to dreams.

The passion with which teams and players participate while representing their nations is a sight to behold. That same passion helped 158th-ranked Singapore, 24 places below India, dominate their opponents five days back at the National Stadium. And Gavin Lee’s side would aim to do the same on Tuesday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, in the reverse fixture.

The only problem is that another draw could mean elimination for India and no Asian Cup for at least six years. India, with just two points from three matches and no wins, are third in a winner-takes-it-all Group C. Hong Kong lead with seven points, while Singapore are second (5). With only three more games to go, Hong Kong can seal qualification by beating Bangladesh in an early game on Tuesday if India fail to beat Singapore.

It’s business end and coach Jamil knows it well, calling up Mohun Bagan’s defender Subhasish Bose and midfielder Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte for the Tuesday game. It’s almost a guarantee Apuia would start in the midfield alongside Tangri, while Bose would replace Sandesh Jhingan in the center-back position after the star defender received a red card five days back.

Hints of that were dropped by Jamil during his press conference on Monday. “We required them, especially Subhasish. We don’t have another left-centre back after Sandesh Jhingan’s red card,” he said. “Apuia, I think, deserved to be back because of his experience. I’ve seen his game, it was good, and we felt this was the right time to use him.”

India set to play ‘attacking’ football vs Singapore

To his credit, the 48-year-old Indian coach admitted that Prabhu and Nickson let him down in the last game.  “They played very good, according to the instructions I gave,” he said. “But the control wasn’t good enough on the field, so I made an early change in the second half.”

There are two ways to look at this. Maybe Jamil felt CAFA Nations Cup success proved he could win without Mohun Bagan players, or maybe he was in the mood for reverse revenge. But one thing is guaranteed, the coach has realised, he needs his top players in the biggest games. And he has agreed to that compromise.

Another compromise Jamil may have to make is to play attacking football against Singapore at home, rather than relying solely on counter-attacking. The three points are ripe for the taking, but they belong to those who dare.

“We have to think positively. They’re a good side, they played very well at their home ground and it was difficult to beat them. But this time it’s our home ground. We’ll try to do our best, stay positive, and go for a positive result,” Jamil declared on the eve of the do-or-die game.

How much he will really change tactically after years of being asked to fight and survive is a question that will be answered on the Fatorda’s pitch. But you can’t deny that Jamil has already shown some flexibility with the national interest in mind. One would hope it’s not too late, though.

The India vs Singapore football match will be played on 14 October (Tuesday) from 7.30 PM IST. It will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.