Will India’s tiki-taka pass Cameroon test?

Nirmal Chhetri and Syed Rahim Nabi,the players in the Indian camp most equipped to put in practice Wim Koevermans’ quick-passing style of play,are both full backs. This reflects in the way most of India’s promising moves shape up. A midfielder holds up the ball and after the full back makes his run,releases the ball into the flank. The defender on the overlap,then,either cuts in or pings a cross into the box. Though the routine has not always ended with the ball in the back of the net,it has caused enough defenses trouble to make it reliable. But it comes with an obvious downside — it leaves the side exposed to a quick ball into space on the flanks,something Cameroon exploited.

Though Nabi looked dangerous going forward,the pacy Eloundou Charles twice got around him and while the first chance was cleared,the second resulted in a penalty.

To press or not to press

“You keep possession,you stay in control. You lose possession,you need to gain it back fast so that you stay in control,” said Koevermans,before the start of the Nehru Cup. However,a pressing game takes a heavy physical toll on the players. And when fitness and player fatigue is always a concern,like it is with a side like India,you cannot get them to pressurise the opponents through the course of the match without losing out on your own sharpness at some stage.

Despite conceding an early goal in the first half,India hardly hurried Cameroon in their half. The minute Manandeep Singh,Francis Fernandes and Mehtab Hussain put the defense under pressure in the second period,the result was palpable. Manandeep harried a defender into conceding a throw-in,which Nabi carried deep down the left before crossing it back for the striker,who thumped it straight at the ‘keeper. Apart from creating the chance,the pressing also denied Cameroon time to construct moves.

Achilles’ heel

While Cameroon have scored eleven goals,they have been equally impressive at the other end. The defense has conceded just three goals in four matches,two of which came in their first game against Syria,played on a bog of a pitch. If the goals Cameroon have let in are rare,they are also instructive — both goals in their tournament opener came via headers from set-pieces. Even India’s third choice striker Manandeep managed to make a nuisance of himself in Cameroon’s box during dead ball situations and the clearest chances India fashioned in the game came when the striker and Nabi were left unmarked to get their headers off. While Sunil Chhetri is competent enough in the air,against Cameroon’s robust center backs he might get bullied. The alternative is to pair Chhetri with the more imposing Robin Singh in a 4-4-2,instead of playing Francis Fernandes in the hole. But the coach has been reluctant to play both Chhetri and Robin at the start,as the presence of a target man has tempted his team to altogether abandon the passing ethic and go instead for the hopeful punt up field.