India begin their AFC Asian Cup campaign on Saturday with a tough clash against Australia.
It is a difficult group that India have been drawn in, with clashes against Uzbekistan and Syria to follow - both also teams ranked higher than India. Igor Stimac might have played down the importance of this tournament, but the fact remains that this is the biggest tournament that the national team are likely to find themselves in for the foreseeable future.
- Asian Cup: Home | Bracket | Groups | Team guide
There are some holes in the 26-man squad that Stimac has picked, largely forced by injuries to important players like Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan. However, if India are to give a good account of themselves, then there are some questions that Stimac has to answer before the opening game at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Saturday.
Who partners Jhingan?
If Anwar was fit, he'd be a lock alongside Sandesh Jhingan at the heart of India's defence. However, in his absence, Rahul Bheke took his place during November's World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar.
After the 1-0 win in Kuwait, Stimac was full of praise for Bheke, saying that he had shown his value to the national team. Based on those, you'd think that it is only a formality that we will see a centre-back partnership of Bheke and Jhingan against Australia. However, taking Stimac's words at face value isn't always a wise thing to do: take the inclusion of Udanta Singh in the squad, for instance.
Kotal's experience is a factor, but a potentially decisive advantage he has over Bheke is that he has played at centre-back for his club this season, while Bheke has largely been used as a right-back by Mumbai City FC. Kotal also has form on his side, but Bheke has the advantage of having already formed a partnership with Jhingan, which might sway Stimac's decision in his favour.
Is there a need for a Plan B without Sahal?
Sahal Abdul Samad's fitness is a concern, and he's unlikely to feature at least in the opening game against Australia. The most natural replacement at the no.10 position is Brandon Fernandes, but he's a completely different player to Sahal. Brandon doesn't tend to carry the ball and dribble in tight spaces like Sahal can. He influences games with his passing and ability to find himself in those pockets between midfield and defence.
Is that Stimac's plan B? To use Brandon as the passer to balls in behind, while using the wingers to chase? Will India's wingers be advanced enough for that to work? Even more fundamentally, will India have enough possession to work it up to Brandon in spaces where he can influence the game?
If it isn't, and Stimac decides he wants to replicate what Sahal does as the no.10, an option he has tried in the past is using Naorem Mahesh Singh behind Sunil Chhetri. Mahesh is an excellent ball carrier and dribbles really well. But this option would mean having to play him slightly outside his comfort zone. The answer probably remains Brandon, only due to the unarguable quality he possesses, and just more know-how of how to play in midfield.
Who starts in the wide areas?
After the 3-0 loss to Qatar in November where he handed Udanta Singh a start, Stimac had said that the winger would then have to go back to his club and prove that he deserved to get back to the national team. He's in this squad, though, even if he's unlikely to start.
Lallianzuala Chhangte has arguably been the best Indian player over the last 18 months or so. But he hasn't started India's last two games. Manvir Singh had an influential performance from the right wing, including scoring the winner against Kuwait. Manvir is quick and his physicality could provide India an option to hold the ball up in wide areas, allowing centre forward Chhetri and potentially Mahesh on the left wing to find themselves in shooting positions.
Chhangte, too, was influential as a substitute against Kuwait. So, that is an option Stimac has up his sleeve, to keep things tight, just stay in games until the end, and then try to utilize Chhangte's X-Factor.
The engine room
Apuia is an undisputed starter in midfield. He's India's most cultured player on the ball, he's having a great season for his club Mumbai City, he's India's best bet at ball retention in midfield. The question for Stimac should really surround Apuia's partner in midfield. If Jeakson was fit, that would've been an easy answer.
Now, Deepak Tangri has replaced Jeakson. He has been picked in the squad for his physicality and ability to rattle opponents in midfield. He adds height to a side that is also notoriously poor at defending set-pieces. However, picking him would mean sacrificing one midfielder from the build-up entirely, as Tangri's strengths don't lie in contributions with the ball at his feet.
Anirudh Thapa has fallen out of favour with Stimac, and is likely to once again be an option from the bench only, particularly with his current form not painting a pretty picture. He has struggled to adapt to the demands of a deeper midfield role at Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Suresh Singh Wangjam is the other option. He can run all day, he will be very useful in harrying opposing midfielders off the ball, and has definitely shown some improvement in his passing ability. Whoever Stimac picks, though, he's not going to be able to replicate Jeakson's ability. So the answer will depend on which part of Jeakson's ability he is willing to sacrifice.
The left-back dilemma
The two full-backs in India's squad - Subhasish Bose and Akash Mishra - are rather contrasting players. Mishra's strengths lie in his ability to overlap and find crosses from advanced positions. Bose, meanwhile, is a lot more defensive in his outlook, and as he showed against Qatar, he has the ability to handle one-on-one battles against wingers at this level.
Nikhil Poojary is likely to start at right-back, and he's also likely to be entrusted with overlapping and finding himself in advanced positions when he can. In that case, against the opponents India will play against, it might be prudent to have a more defensive option at left-back, in which case Bose will find himself in pole position to start.
In an attempt to answer the questions that Stimac faces, this is what we at ESPN India see as India's most likely starting XI, in a 4-2-3-1: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Nikhil Poojary, Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose; Lalengmawia Ralte, Suresh Singh Wangjam; Manvir Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Naorem Mahesh Singh; Sunil Chhetri