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Fanview: 'The Indian team rises when they are least expected to' & 'India won't be able to win this one'
To prepare for the Challenge Cup 2012, India visit Oman for a friendly in Muscat this Thursday, 23rd Febuary. Goal.com asks readers if they feel that the Blue Tigers can win..
22-Feb-2012 6:25:00 PM
Anirvan Sengupta
efc images
Without a single match being played, the Indian national team has managed to usher in the New Year with back-to-back ranking improvements. On the pitch for the first time this year, other than the exhibition tie against Bayern Munich, the Blue Tigers face an Oman side ranked 59 places above them in the 95th spot.
With the retirement of experienced heavyweights such as Climax Lawrence and Mahesh Gawli, Savio Medeira's unit face the formidable task of having to gel with each other while giving their coach last minute options before the 2012 Challenge Cup.
In the phase of this transit in Indian football, Goal.com asks its readers: Can India defeat Oman in Muscat?
Adrija Chatterjee, a final year student of Political Science, believes that India always tends to do better when everyone feels that they will not preform. "No one expected them to win in the Nehru Cup in 2007, and even to defend it 2009. No one also thought they would enter into the Asian Cup last year. But they did. Somehow the moments that everyone feels that they won't deliver, the Indian team rises when they are least expected to. So you can expect a win."
Arghya Brata Mandal, a third year student in the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, believes that there is ample scope for being optimistic about this fixture. According to him, "There's no reason to believe we cannot. 2011 has been a good year for us, qualifying for the Asian Cup and then winning the SAFF Cup shows that we have the quality. The key should be to keep the defence tight and maintain stamina and composure for the 90 minutes. In any game if you get your tactics right then any team can give even a stronger outfit a run for their money. We've got the experienced good players like Gouramangi and good young players like Pune's Lester Fernandez. If the young players show the desire and experienced ones lead the way, Oman can be conquered!"
Nipun Iyer, a second year student of engineering in Delhi, hopes for a good performance rather than the final outcome which he thinks is a foregone conclusion. "I really don't expect us to get a win in this game. Oman have a pretty experienced squad which also contains a Premier League player. That said, I really do hope we can put up a good display with some youngsters in the line-up. As we saw against Bayern Munich, when Didika and Jewel were brought on, we played at a much higher tempo. That's the only way to improve our rankings and our game, so we must give the youngsters chances."
Debarghya Paul, pursuing a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in his second year, feels that this match is highly important since it marks a new era in West Bengal. Says Paul, "This could be the very match where we can find the best replacements for the likes of Climax and Gawli. Irrespective of the result, I believe the youngstars will show that "X" factor we were lacking. Among the new bunch I'm pining my hopes on Didika, Arnab, Manandeep and Lester."
Rishav Basu, a student as well as a budding thespian, is hopeful of a good performance as he goes through the best games the team has played recently. "The Indian team is a talented bunch comprising of a lot of youngsters. And as we saw in the SAFF Cup, India defeated Afghanistan by 4 goals. The youth of the Indian team will come into play when they play Oman. Players like Arnab Mondal, Kingshuk Debnath etc will be eager to cement their place in the national team by putting up a good show in absence of the seniors. They need a good bit of practice. I would definitely say that unity will come to play in the friendly clash. We will surely see some individual brilliance on the pitch but the Indian team's unity on and off the field will write the destiny of the match."
Zoheb Akbar, a 3rd year student of Mass Communications, plays down any chance that India might have of a victory. He says that, "We won't win because many players are injured including Chhetri, who is the best that we have right now. Plus the standard of Indian football in the I-League is so poor that we'll never be able to catch up with other countries.
Raktim Nag, a quizzard and a 3rd year student of St. Xavier's College from Kolkata, echoes the above mentioned sentiment. "No, we won't be able to win this one. To have a consistent winning streak you need tenacity, which is something this unit lacks. Also the eternally poor team management and orchestration of talent is something to be ashamed of. Add to that, the poor training facilities. So there really isn't a long-term solution to keep a consistent flow running."
Shubhodeep Bhattacharjee, a student from Kolkata, weighs up both good and bad of this Indian side. he says "The friendly puts up the Indian team against all possible odds, which includes coping in the absence of star striker Sunil Chettri. However the confidence of Savio Medeira might help India in taking a leap forward as he is banking mostly on the young guns and those with moderate experience. So there might be a possibility but there are too many probabilities stacked up against India"
Anand Suren, a B.Tech Mechanical Engineering Student from the VIT University, feels that for this particular match, being cautious would be a wise move. "This match will lend a completely new dimension for the Indian team. There will be a new set of players most of whom shall play together for first time. So let's consider this as a match for players to prove themselves. Hence we must play defensively and should aim for a draw...winning is unreal as of now if you think realistically."
Indradev Banerjee, a first year student of Mass Communications and Videography, is also quite optimistic of the teams chances. He feels that, "It's not that difficult because we have players like Jewel Raja, Rahim Nabi, and Reisangmi Vashum. There are youngsters coming in too, but the seniors have played as a unit together for a while now. Playing style has improved no doubt, irrespective of the many areas still left to be worked on. If India being a wild card clicks, then we could win."
With the retirement of experienced heavyweights such as Climax Lawrence and Mahesh Gawli, Savio Medeira's unit face the formidable task of having to gel with each other while giving their coach last minute options before the 2012 Challenge Cup.
In the phase of this transit in Indian football, Goal.com asks its readers: Can India defeat Oman in Muscat?
Adrija Chatterjee, a final year student of Political Science, believes that India always tends to do better when everyone feels that they will not preform. "No one expected them to win in the Nehru Cup in 2007, and even to defend it 2009. No one also thought they would enter into the Asian Cup last year. But they did. Somehow the moments that everyone feels that they won't deliver, the Indian team rises when they are least expected to. So you can expect a win."Arghya Brata Mandal, a third year student in the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, believes that there is ample scope for being optimistic about this fixture. According to him, "There's no reason to believe we cannot. 2011 has been a good year for us, qualifying for the Asian Cup and then winning the SAFF Cup shows that we have the quality. The key should be to keep the defence tight and maintain stamina and composure for the 90 minutes. In any game if you get your tactics right then any team can give even a stronger outfit a run for their money. We've got the experienced good players like Gouramangi and good young players like Pune's Lester Fernandez. If the young players show the desire and experienced ones lead the way, Oman can be conquered!"Nipun Iyer, a second year student of engineering in Delhi, hopes for a good performance rather than the final outcome which he thinks is a foregone conclusion. "I really don't expect us to get a win in this game. Oman have a pretty experienced squad which also contains a Premier League player. That said, I really do hope we can put up a good display with some youngsters in the line-up. As we saw against Bayern Munich, when Didika and Jewel were brought on, we played at a much higher tempo. That's the only way to improve our rankings and our game, so we must give the youngsters chances."Debarghya Paul, pursuing a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in his second year, feels that this match is highly important since it marks a new era in West Bengal. Says Paul, "This could be the very match where we can find the best replacements for the likes of Climax and Gawli. Irrespective of the result, I believe the youngstars will show that "X" factor we were lacking. Among the new bunch I'm pining my hopes on Didika, Arnab, Manandeep and Lester."
Rishav Basu, a student as well as a budding thespian, is hopeful of a good performance as he goes through the best games the team has played recently. "The Indian team is a talented bunch comprising of a lot of youngsters. And as we saw in the SAFF Cup, India defeated Afghanistan by 4 goals. The youth of the Indian team will come into play when they play Oman. Players like Arnab Mondal, Kingshuk Debnath etc will be eager to cement their place in the national team by putting up a good show in absence of the seniors. They need a good bit of practice. I would definitely say that unity will come to play in the friendly clash. We will surely see some individual brilliance on the pitch but the Indian team's unity on and off the field will write the destiny of the match."Zoheb Akbar, a 3rd year student of Mass Communications, plays down any chance that India might have of a victory. He says that, "We won't win because many players are injured including Chhetri, who is the best that we have right now. Plus the standard of Indian football in the I-League is so poor that we'll never be able to catch up with other countries.Raktim Nag, a quizzard and a 3rd year student of St. Xavier's College from Kolkata, echoes the above mentioned sentiment. "No, we won't be able to win this one. To have a consistent winning streak you need tenacity, which is something this unit lacks. Also the eternally poor team management and orchestration of talent is something to be ashamed of. Add to that, the poor training facilities. So there really isn't a long-term solution to keep a consistent flow running."Shubhodeep Bhattacharjee, a student from Kolkata, weighs up both good and bad of this Indian side. he says "The friendly puts up the Indian team against all possible odds, which includes coping in the absence of star striker Sunil Chettri. However the confidence of Savio Medeira might help India in taking a leap forward as he is banking mostly on the young guns and those with moderate experience. So there might be a possibility but there are too many probabilities stacked up against India"Anand Suren, a B.Tech Mechanical Engineering Student from the VIT University, feels that for this particular match, being cautious would be a wise move. "This match will lend a completely new dimension for the Indian team. There will be a new set of players most of whom shall play together for first time. So let's consider this as a match for players to prove themselves. Hence we must play defensively and should aim for a draw...winning is unreal as of now if you think realistically."Indradev Banerjee, a first year student of Mass Communications and Videography, is also quite optimistic of the teams chances. He feels that, "It's not that difficult because we have players like Jewel Raja, Rahim Nabi, and Reisangmi Vashum. There are youngsters coming in too, but the seniors have played as a unit together for a while now. Playing style has improved no doubt, irrespective of the many areas still left to be worked on. If India being a wild card clicks, then we could win."Do YOU Think India Can Beat Oman In Muscat? Use Our Comments Box Below To Have YOUR Say...
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