Vickydev Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 (edited) Winning the SAFF Championship again but this one is a lot different. Beating 2 ME nations in KO games through penalties is a big deal IMO. Not just the result but we pretty much matched them and bettered them especially Lebanon who are a very strong unit. I remember we lost to Kuwait 1-9 back in 2011, such a long way to have come. But the biggest positive is the growing popularity among the fans. Unbelievable support throughout and such a long way from the days of when our Captain Chhetri begging back in 2018 for people to come watch them. The interest in Indian Football is as high as its ever been, at least since the 00s, and I can see the growth the team has been making alongside that. These guys are basically dependent on SAI handouts but are on the verge of matching nations like China, who work on massive budgets. Currently around top 100 (Not sure if the results seal that), looking forward, we have the Asian Cup early next year and I am expecting us to put a decent show, getting out of the GS would be quite an achievement. A couple of upcoming tournaments in SE Asia will be proper preparations. A decent showing will probably solidify the potential that this team has. Who knows maybe a decade from now we may even qualify for the World Cup with the increased slots for Asia. Not letting go of that dream yet. PS: Shreyas Iyer seems a proper fan, seen him in all the games now Edited July 4, 2023 by Vickydev BacktoCricaddict, Norman, Lone Wolf and 6 others 2 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Vickydev said: Winning the SAFF Championship again but this one is a lot different. Beating 2 ME nations in KO games through penalties is a big deal IMO. Not just the result but we pretty much matched them and bettered them especially Lebanon who are a very strong unit. I remember we lost to Kuwait 1-9 back in 2011, such a long way to have come. But the biggest positive is the growing popularity among the fans. Unbelievable support throughout and such a long way from the days of when our Captain Chhetri begging back in 2018 for people to come watch them. The interest in Indian Football is as high as its ever been, at least since the 00s, and I can see the growth the team has been making alongside that. These guys are basically dependent on SAI handouts but are on the verge of matching nations like China, who work on massive budgets. Currently around top 100 (Not sure if the results seal that), looking forward, we have the Asian Cup early next year and I am expecting us to put a decent show, getting out of the GS would be quite an achievement. A couple of upcoming tournaments in SE Asia will be proper preparations. A decent showing will probably solidify the potential that this team has. Who knows maybe a decade from now we may even qualify for the World Cup with the increased slots for Asia. Not letting go of that dream yet. PS: Shreyas Iyer seems a proper fan, seen him in all the games now Its a good start... I remember we beat Cameroon in Nehru Cup final some 7-8 years back at home so yeah I won't be looking too much into it yet. Kings Cup is in September in Thailand where we face Iraq, Thailand, Lebanon (again) Malaysia too. If we do well there & manage to stretch IRAQ then we definately are in business Good to see passion among fans. Vickydev and ravishingravi 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickydev Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 6 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said: Its a good start... I remember we beat Cameroon in Nehru Cup final some 7-8 years back at home so yeah I won't be looking too much into it yet. Kings Cup is in September in Thailand where we face Iraq, Thailand, Lebanon (again) Malaysia too. If we do well there & manage to stretch IRAQ then we definately are in business Good to see passion among fans. Yeah but Nehru Cup is a more of a friendly tournament where teams send their B/C teams. SAFF is a lot more serious event or at least was this time around. And the way team played is as good I have seen. But yeah the two events in SE Asia will be key for Asian Cup preparations and give a better idea of the progress. We have a tough group but top 3 making it gives us a chance Lone Wolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomGuy Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 Unimpressive....0-0 draws and winning through panelty shootout... India should be steamrolling these rank 100 teams to be in top 20 or even top 50. sandeep and Lone Wolf 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharathh Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 India's forwards (besides Chettri) don't seem great at finishing. They do make a lot of chances from what I saw this tournament, they are unable to put them away. Also, the team looks puny compared to their opponents. Other than Jinghan in defence and the goalkeeper, the entire team looks small and get pushed around by the their opponents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 2 hours ago, bharathh said: India's forwards (besides Chettri) don't seem great at finishing. They do make a lot of chances from what I saw this tournament, they are unable to put them away. Also, the team looks puny compared to their opponents. Other than Jinghan in defence and the goalkeeper, the entire team looks small and get pushed around by the their opponents. They are looking at SEA way perhaps.. More speed & agility for sure. Several North East players in the side. The physical strategy hasn't given much results over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 3 hours ago, randomGuy said: Unimpressive....0-0 draws and winning through panelty shootout... India should be steamrolling these rank 100 teams to be in top 20 or even top 50. Lol we have beaten Kuwait only couple of times I guess in our history... It was a good win. Lebanon in Semis was a freakin tough opponent. Wait till you see IRAQ in Kings cup... These ME sides are not easy to roll over. Vickydev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharathh Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 11 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said: Lol we have beaten Kuwait only couple of times I guess in our history... It was a good win. Lebanon in Semis was a freakin tough opponent. Wait till you see IRAQ in Kings cup... These ME sides are not easy to roll over. Yeah beating Kuwait is a big deal. Last time India played Kuwait we lost 9-1 or something. Vickydev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickydev Posted July 5, 2023 Author Share Posted July 5, 2023 3 hours ago, randomGuy said: Unimpressive....0-0 draws and winning through panelty shootout... India should be steamrolling these rank 100 teams to be in top 20 or even top 50. That's unrealistic tbf. Even Korea and Iran could beat Lebanon by a goal or something, no one will roll over at this level Lone Wolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 1 hour ago, Vickydev said: That's unrealistic tbf. Even Korea and Iran could beat Lebanon by a goal or something, no one will roll over at this level 1 hour ago, bharathh said: Yeah beating Kuwait is a big deal. Last time India played Kuwait we lost 9-1 or something. Indeed massive improvement. Even I feel optimistic for Indian football after a long while. Next few tourneys away from home will ideally show where we stand right now. Vickydev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomGuy Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 18 hours ago, Lone Wolf said: Lol we have beaten Kuwait only couple of times I guess in our history... It was a good win. Lebanon in Semis was a freakin tough opponent. Wait till you see IRAQ in Kings cup... These ME sides are not easy to roll over. I am saying the same thing...even these close wins show that quality gap is narrow , about 100 in ranking also confirms this... the question you should be asking is with this quality/depth (or lack thereof) how much further can you proceed...as a nation of 1400 million, people should have bigger aims, not be satisfied with scraping through in panel shootout against some another lowly ranked team... when I mention top 20, people start troll voting suggesting they don't feel the need for DRASTIC improvements in quality and depth from present levels.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khota Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 It is getting better. Next goal should be closing the gap with Asian countries like Japan and Korea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharathh Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 58 minutes ago, randomGuy said: I am saying the same thing...even these close wins show that quality gap is narrow , about 100 in ranking also confirms this... the question you should be asking is with this quality/depth (or lack thereof) how much further can you proceed...as a nation of 1400 million, people should have bigger aims, not be satisfied with scraping through in panel shootout against some another lowly ranked team... when I mention top 20, people start troll voting suggesting they don't feel the need for DRASTIC improvements in quality and depth from present levels.. You can't become Brazil or Argentina in one bound. Have to savour the small successes first. This population of 1.4 B doesn't really mean much when a small minute number play football at a serious level. The grassroots needs to improve the way cricket has in order for any meaningful inroads to be made. That happens only with the spotlight on the sport and that comes from wins - albeit against smaller teams. Culture around the sport has to become strong first. China for all its investment in the sport from an organization and money has 0 to show for it. Unfortunately due to our visa policies football is behind the African and small European countries where even a decent footballer can earn a living in one of Europe's leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomGuy Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 8 minutes ago, bharathh said: You can't become Brazil or Argentina in one bound. Have to savour the small successes first. This population of 1.4 B doesn't really mean much when a small minute number play football at a serious level. The grassroots needs to improve the way cricket has in order for any meaningful inroads to be made. That happens only with the spotlight on the sport and that comes from wins - albeit against smaller teams. Culture around the sport has to become strong first. China for all its investment in the sport from an organization and money has 0 to show for it. Unfortunately due to our visa policies football is behind the African and small European countries where even a decent footballer can earn a living in one of Europe's leagues. Are we even certain that we are improving or are we just oscillating between a ceiling(let us say rank 70) and a floor(let us say rank 140)?...1400 million population does matter a little bit, there will be passionate people with wealth to pursue football professionally compared to countries of only a few million people who are football powerhouses... rest as you said, football culture, grassroot facilities, incentives, coaching, visa rules etc all have to improve ...I have higher expectations from India, am not for celebrating small close home wins like these...in away conditions these same teams can beat India who knows.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharathh Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 We will find out in the next cup I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharathh Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Very meaningful scene from Rush - a great movie IMO. I think what Chris Hemsworth's character says around the 1:15 mark in this clip applies here. We need to celebrate all victories in life as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomGuy Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 ^^ celebrate losses, celebrate wins , celebrate life, have a positive general attitude....but have perspective, don't let small close home wins get to our heads as they don't mean much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkt.india Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 22 hours ago, bharathh said: Yeah beating Kuwait is a big deal. Last time India played Kuwait we lost 9-1 or something. Kuwait is coming after a long ban. they are not the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 On 7/6/2023 at 11:10 AM, rkt.india said: Kuwait is coming after a long ban. they are not the same. Kuwait recently beat UAE in Arabian cup... They are not bad at all. UAE is ranked much Higher than both Kuwait & India. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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