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2009 SAFF Cup: Day Two Preview - India In Action
The record champions begin their campaign against minnows Afghanistan.....
05-Dec-2009 3:17:58 AM
The opening day of the
2009 SAFF Cup, saw Sri Lanka edge past Pakistan whereas hosts Bangladesh kick
started their campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of Bhutan.
Second day of the
tournament sees Maldives take on Nepal and India’s Under-23 team play against
Afghanistan.
Maldives - Nepal
Defending champions Maldives take on Nepal in the first match of Group A. Maldives have traditionally done well in the SAFF Cup, having always gone past the group stage and will be hoping to become the first team since 1999 to retain the trophy.
They like to play with a three man defence and are probably the strongest team in terms of physical strength. They are a well organized team which also has the option of playing long balls because of their aerial superiority. Ibrahim Fazeel and Ali Ashfaq were the stars in the last edition and have been in good form this year also. There will be disappointment for failing to qualify for next year’s AFC Challenge Cup but the holders will take confidence from the 2008 triumph and will be looking to make a good start in this edition.
The small Himalayan nation of Nepal has no dearth of passion for football. Their lack of infrastructure is made up for, by the sheer passion and energy with which their team plays. Nepal has a comparatively young but a promising squad. Their solitary win in the last edition came against Pakistan which helped them finish third in the group. This year their young squad will be looking to go qualify for the semis, which would be considered as a good achievement.
Maldives are a big, physical side and Nepal has nippy technical players. Nepal’s defense might be the key as their job will be to contain the talented and powerful attack of Maldives. On the other end of the pitch, Nepal will be looking to cause problems with their pace and will depend heavily on players like Shillong Lajong striker Anil Gurung and formerly Maldives based Jumanu Rai, to get them the goals.
The champions are the favorites not only for this match but probably for the whole tournament also so anything less than a win, will put them under pressure to win the next two games.
India - Afghanistan
It was a bold decision by the AIFF to send an Under-23 squad instead of the senior team and now it is up to the youngsters to prove their credentials. As most people following the I-league will know, this Indian team is full of talent and can really turn on the style if things go right.
The squad might be new to the international scene but a majority of the players play for big clubs and so they know how to perform under pressure. Also one must not forget that they are the only Under-23 squad in the tournament so they should play without fear.
Goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya is the third choice custodian in the senior setup so he will be motivated to do well in this tournament and move up the pecking order in the senior team. Nirmal Chettri is considered to be one of the best young defenders in India so he will have to play a key role for the young defence. In midfield, Jagpreet is a very talented player and has the ability to control games with his passing and vision. Captain Sushil Kumar Singh will no doubt be wanting to be in the squad for the 2011 Asia Cup and for that to happen, he must finally find his goal scoring touch at the SAFF Cup.
So there is enough quality in all departments and it’s the perfect opportunity for these youngsters to not only stake their claim for a spot in the senior squad but also win India its first SAFF Cup since 2005.
Afghansitan are one of the weakest teams in the tournament and on paper they do not stand a chance against India. However, one must not forget that India needed a fortuitous injury time goal to beat them in the AFC Challenge Cup last year, so the Afghans will be looking for a similar performance.
In 2009, they have hardly played any tournament so by no means are they well prepared for this. But midfielders Harez Arian Habib and Ata Yamrali are two very good creative players and can give India a problem. But their chances in the game are likely to depend heavily on keeper Shamshuddin Amirii, who will have to be at his best to make this game a contest.
Sukhwinder Singh’s boys will be seeing the ball a lot in the game and since most players will be playing their first international match, an early goal could help to settle a few nerves. It would be interesting to see if the Under-23 team play with same game plan as the senior team. While Afghanistan are likely to have a cautious approach and will be working very hard to frustrate the four time champions so the Indians have to produce their best attacking game.
India missed out on the title narrowly in 2008, and the youngsters will be hoping to do better than the senior squad and win the trophy this time. For that to happen they need a good start in the first match so they will be looking to avoid complacency and get off a to winning start against minnows Afghanistan, which could laid the foundation for a winning campaign.
Amoy Ghoshal & Venkatesha Sharma
Maldives - Nepal
Defending champions Maldives take on Nepal in the first match of Group A. Maldives have traditionally done well in the SAFF Cup, having always gone past the group stage and will be hoping to become the first team since 1999 to retain the trophy.
They like to play with a three man defence and are probably the strongest team in terms of physical strength. They are a well organized team which also has the option of playing long balls because of their aerial superiority. Ibrahim Fazeel and Ali Ashfaq were the stars in the last edition and have been in good form this year also. There will be disappointment for failing to qualify for next year’s AFC Challenge Cup but the holders will take confidence from the 2008 triumph and will be looking to make a good start in this edition.
The small Himalayan nation of Nepal has no dearth of passion for football. Their lack of infrastructure is made up for, by the sheer passion and energy with which their team plays. Nepal has a comparatively young but a promising squad. Their solitary win in the last edition came against Pakistan which helped them finish third in the group. This year their young squad will be looking to go qualify for the semis, which would be considered as a good achievement.
Maldives are a big, physical side and Nepal has nippy technical players. Nepal’s defense might be the key as their job will be to contain the talented and powerful attack of Maldives. On the other end of the pitch, Nepal will be looking to cause problems with their pace and will depend heavily on players like Shillong Lajong striker Anil Gurung and formerly Maldives based Jumanu Rai, to get them the goals.
The champions are the favorites not only for this match but probably for the whole tournament also so anything less than a win, will put them under pressure to win the next two games.
India - Afghanistan
It was a bold decision by the AIFF to send an Under-23 squad instead of the senior team and now it is up to the youngsters to prove their credentials. As most people following the I-league will know, this Indian team is full of talent and can really turn on the style if things go right.
The squad might be new to the international scene but a majority of the players play for big clubs and so they know how to perform under pressure. Also one must not forget that they are the only Under-23 squad in the tournament so they should play without fear.
Goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya is the third choice custodian in the senior setup so he will be motivated to do well in this tournament and move up the pecking order in the senior team. Nirmal Chettri is considered to be one of the best young defenders in India so he will have to play a key role for the young defence. In midfield, Jagpreet is a very talented player and has the ability to control games with his passing and vision. Captain Sushil Kumar Singh will no doubt be wanting to be in the squad for the 2011 Asia Cup and for that to happen, he must finally find his goal scoring touch at the SAFF Cup.
So there is enough quality in all departments and it’s the perfect opportunity for these youngsters to not only stake their claim for a spot in the senior squad but also win India its first SAFF Cup since 2005.
Afghansitan are one of the weakest teams in the tournament and on paper they do not stand a chance against India. However, one must not forget that India needed a fortuitous injury time goal to beat them in the AFC Challenge Cup last year, so the Afghans will be looking for a similar performance.
In 2009, they have hardly played any tournament so by no means are they well prepared for this. But midfielders Harez Arian Habib and Ata Yamrali are two very good creative players and can give India a problem. But their chances in the game are likely to depend heavily on keeper Shamshuddin Amirii, who will have to be at his best to make this game a contest.
Sukhwinder Singh’s boys will be seeing the ball a lot in the game and since most players will be playing their first international match, an early goal could help to settle a few nerves. It would be interesting to see if the Under-23 team play with same game plan as the senior team. While Afghanistan are likely to have a cautious approach and will be working very hard to frustrate the four time champions so the Indians have to produce their best attacking game.
India missed out on the title narrowly in 2008, and the youngsters will be hoping to do better than the senior squad and win the trophy this time. For that to happen they need a good start in the first match so they will be looking to avoid complacency and get off a to winning start against minnows Afghanistan, which could laid the foundation for a winning campaign.
Amoy Ghoshal & Venkatesha Sharma
Inside Goal.Com
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