Well, the days of reckoning are nearly here. India need to win the last three matches at Asian Games 2014 to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016. They have the potential to win all three, but if I may quote Albert Einstein: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." That's what India seem to be doing every game.
It's time to get back to what you are good at: forwards attack with the passion to score like Dhanraj Pillay, defend with ferocity like Pargat Singh and Sardar starts to attack and show his sublime skills and magic. If India don't start doing these things, it will be a long and hard road to qualify for the Olympics. Then, one slip up, and it's all over.
China will be a tough team, very defensive, and provide little by way of easy shots at goal. By way of their attack, they will have a few chances. In short, they seem to make the most of what little they get.
Pakistan vs India was a close game statistically but Pakistan made the most of the opportunities. India should have about the same scoring chances as Pakistan had against China, but the Indians will have to make far better use of the chances they will get in this match.
With Rupinderpal Singh still injured and maybe still out for this game, VR Raghunath needs to show leadership in his penalty corner skills and start scoring off those. If he doesn't fire, scoring field goals just becomes that much harder.
Manpreet Singh, Asian Youth Player of the Year, needs to show the leader he will one day come and take control of the game. Gurbaj has had a great tournament and his skills are brilliant, but he has been let down by the strike forwards time and time again. He will again deliver the goods in this game, let's hope more results come of it.
The game may come down to goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. It's important he keeps a clean sheet against China. It will give India so much confidence going forward into the knockout games with an in-form goalkeeper.
China have scored most of their goals from field efforts, even against Pakistan they had enough chances to score. They don't have any stars but are just a well-drilled, hard-working team. So any lapses in concentration by India could prove costly.
Even though China can theoretically make the final goal difference of -4, it may prove too hard for the Chinese to achieve. This game is for India to start, to show that they not only want to desperately win this tournament but also prove that they are a force to reckon with. The other alternative is not something I wish to contemplate.
Comments
0 comment