GUWAHATI: FOUR years ago, in Indian football, feels like a different age. Back then, I-League clubs weren’t facing a crisis as existential as the one they do now — all they had to do was wait for the fireworks and noise of the three-month Indian Super League to die down and normal service to resume. India was hovering around in the mid-140s in the FIFA rankings and a good percentage of the current national team was still in school.
Four years ago, in Bengaluru, a beaming Stephen Constantine, still fresh into what would be a turbulent reign as India coach, sat alongside his captain-for-the-game Arnab Mondal (imagine that!) and discussed his team’s chances in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Oman. On Wednesday, it was the turn of current coach Igor Stimac and Sunil Chhetri. It is quite the coincidence that India is facing the same team at the same stage four years on, but Thursday’s opening 2022 World Cup qualifier against Oman is a lot more than that. It also presents an opportunity to evaluate the journey Indian football has made over the past four years.
That is an assessment that Chhetri agrees with. “If you are going to compare, then I hope you can have a happy comparison tomorrow,” he said. “I remember that Oman game (India had lost 1-2) clearly. We fell behind very early and although we did come back, we weren’t great that day.”
Maybe it is an indication of the progress that a positive result does not seem as far fetched as it did four years ago. Unlike last time, where it was virtually impossible to see a route into the next round, things appear a bit more clear cut this time. Get something out of the Oman games and then beat the likes of Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who at least on paper, are inferior. Progressing will also secure, with minimum fuss, a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup.
“We are well-prepared,” said Stimac. “We have had two campaigns (the Kings Cup and the Intercontinental Cup) and I am really happy about the improvement of the players.” He added that the team has worked hard to erase the defensive issues that have plagued it during his brief — India have shipped thirteen goals in the five matches Stimac has helmed so far.
The parallels with four years prior don’t end there. India went into that match with a key player, Sandesh Jhingan, unavailable. On Thursday, they will miss the services of Amarjit Singh, who in the five matches he has played, has established himself as a vital component of Stimac’s plans. But the Croat has had time to deal with Amarjit’s absence. “We are very clear about tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) starting eleven. The players have known for the last seven days who will be coming out on the pitch. We respect all opponents and what is important is to have a strong belief in the dressing room.”
That belief is not just confined to Indian camp — the Indira Gandhi Stadium has reportedly been sold out for Thursday’s tie. There is a genuine buzz in Guwahati — the kind that does not usually accompany matches of the national football team. Maybe it’s a subconscious feeling that they are in for something special. If Chhetri & co can tap into that, India might not be the pushovers that they were, four years ago.