This was not your regular Khalid Jamil press conference. For one, this was his first in India, as India head coach ahead of an India match, and that a must-win AFC Asian Cup qualifier. For the other, and this is key, he kept using the word "attack".
"We have to be in attacking mode from start."
"We are playing [at] home, it will be very good for us to start in attacking mode."
It was either that, or "positive", a mantra repeated after almost every word. Managers know players respond to press conferences as much as fans and the media do, and Khalid Jamil knows exactly what he's doing by reiterating the two words India must embrace if they are to make something of this dithering mess of a qualifying campaign. Currently, they have two points in three games, three behind Singapore and five behind Hong Kong with three games left in a group from which only the winner qualifies. Beating Singapore then, after stealing (rarely has that word been more apt, in a purely sporting context) a point away, is non-negotiable. That, though, isn't as straightforward as it seems.
It's not just that Singapore are hurting, trying to "channel those 'not-so-nice' emotions that we have painfully gone through, use it to make sure [they] don't experience it again," after that shock last-minute draw against 10-man India and looking for payback (coach Gavin Lee had that determined let-me-show-you look of quiet confidence on his face throughout his press conference). It's that 'positive' and 'attack' (especially of the all-out kind) are very hypothetical concepts in the world of Khalidball. It must exist; it's just not been proven yet.
At Singapore, lower ranked than India, Jamil had set his team up to survive, the way he's always set his teams up away from home, and it showed. Here, now, he must reshuffle.
Part of that rejig saw Apuia being brought back into the national team fold. While Subhasish Bose joins in as an experienced replacement for the suspended Sandesh Jhingan, Apuia has been picked instead of Macarton Nickson. Addressing the change, the coach said that while Nickson and partner Nikhil Prabhu had played well and obeyed his instructions to the T, "control was not good enough in midfield."
Apuia brings with him that rare ability to control. This is, in effect, Jamil putting aside personal differences (why else would India's best midfielder not make a 23-man squad from the go?) for the team's need... showing, and not just telling the team to step out of their comfort zones.
In the presser, he hinted at changes in the starting XI -- which would be a natural byproduct of this change towards positivity. Good ol' 4-4-2 won't cut it, and Jamil knows that as good as Singapore were four days ago, they are there for the taking.
Singapore, though, won't take any of this lying down. Even against India's low-block 4-4-2, they created plenty of chances, most spurned by their two strikers Ilhan Fandi and Ikshan Fandi. Coach Lee said they'll come out with the same intent, looking to score, looking for three points and that a goal from an error, however much it hurt, cannot possibly dictate a change in philosophy or approach. As much as a win keeps India alive, a Singapore win means the possibility of getting top spot remains in their hands, regardless of what Hong Kong do. They want this just as bad as their hosts.
And they will be trying desperately to avoid thinking of what Ashley Westwood's Hong Kong could do... Both coaches, naturally, looked to move quickly past questions regarding that match (Hong Kong kickoff two hours before the game at the Fatorda, and could go five clear of Singapore and a walloping eight ahead of India if they win) and said they were focusing on what they could control - this game.
If they follow up on their words from this presser, well... With Lee determined to stick to his guns, and Jamil looking to go on "attack mode", this has all the potential to be an absolute cracker.