THERE are two ways to look at Monday's game against Argentina. India are, depending on your world view, 60 minutes away from a potential semifinal. They are also 60 minutes away from being knocked out.
It's clear that the stakes couldn't be any higher when the two teams walk out for their last Pool E encounter at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen (6.15 PM IST). Because the Netherlands v. England match is for later on Monday, even a win won't guarantee them a place in the last four, a match they haven't played at the bash since the 1975 when they won the whole thing.
But it's all about focusing on themselves and worrying about the result of the other match (if Netherlands fail to beat England, India will be eliminated irrespective) later on. Against the Netherlands on Saturday, what really cost them was that they didn't have control of the ball.
Sure, they had a lot of the ball but the hosts were content with being disciplined and organised as they preferred to play a in low block and break at pace. And once they scored the opening goal in the 41st minute, they further embraced this strategy. India couldn't break them down from open play as they didn't create enough opportunities to strike at goal. There was no penetrative passing into the final third and the men in the flanks didn't have the necessary trickery to break the lines deep inside Dutch territory.
That threat is something they will look to carry against the South Americans, another side who could deploy the low block. After the match against the hosts, coach Fulton said the failure to score field goals cost them. "We needed the field goal," he said. "That was what we were pushing for."
Even though India have generally had shots on goal from open play, they haven't managed to convert enough of them so far. The stats tell their own story. Out of the 11 goals they have scored so far, only three has come from open play — it speaks volumes about how their attacking play has broken down after entering opposition territory.
When you couple that with how loose India have been at the back — both in conceding penalty corners as well as giving up striking chances in open play — it has led to a two-fold problem. It's why they haven't managed to control vast amount of games. And at the highest level against the biggest teams, if you give up control, you are likely to give up the game.
"We have a lifeline to stay in the fight to reach the semifinals. It is quite clear what we have to do," the South African told HI while previewing the game against Argentina. "We need the goals but at the same time we still need to manage our own game and maintain our structure."
That will be the key. They will have to marry structure with control.