Kyrgyzstan, India, Myanmar and Macau. If Stephen Constantine’s side cannot manage to finish in the top-two of this group, and qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup, then they probably never will. When Constantine signed up as India’s coach two years ago, qualifying for the continental championship was set as his main target. It was a realistic ambition. The 2018 World Cup was never in consideration. But the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) decision to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24 gave India a real chance to qualify for the championship.
Constantine’s second stint did not begin auspiciously—India just did not look like a winning unit for a major part of his first year in charge—although the performances gradually improved. But he’s been handed an opportunity to salvage the situation. Considering that all the top countries had already qualified for the Cup, India went into Monday’s draw in Abu Dhabi hoping to avoid one of those tricky South East Asian countries, and the likes of Jordan and Oman.
They managed both. It’s not an easy group, but it’s certainly not a tough one either. Kyrgyzstan, ranked just five places above India, are the strongest team in the group. With their federation tapping Kyrgyz-origin players from Russia and Kazakhstan, the Central Asian side has gradually moved up the ladder.
They have notching up several impressive performances—the most notable being wins over higher-ranked Jordan during the first round of qualifiers. In fact, a couple of their veteran players like Amirov and Ivan Filatov play in the I-League for East Bengal and Minerva FC respectively. India will begin their campaign away at Myanmar on March 28. Myanmar competed in the under-20 World Cup two years ago and is a side brimming with exciting young players. They have historically been a tricky team for India. Macau, on the other hand, are the lowest-ranked teams in the group. They were a last-minute addition to the draw after Guam and Kuwait’s non-participation.
India’s biggest headache would be the preparation for each of the ties – especially the three lined up between September to November. It was during this phase that Constantine’s side lost the plot in the first phase of qualifiers. The Indian Super League is held during the same time and the franchises have been reluctant in the past to release the players for a prolonged camp or friendlies which are not on FIFA days.
The tug-of-war between the ISL clubs and the national team meant the players complained of being over-worked and the fatigue reflected on field, especially during their 2-1 defeat away at Turkmenistan. Constantine had cited this as a reason before while last year, too, India did not play a single friendly during the ISL. It is still not clear whether the ISL will take place as scheduled this year or if the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decides to launch the new league.
Secretary Kushal Das said they will have a ‘longish’ camp in March before the first qualifier, likely in Guwahati because of the weather conditions. He, however, did not seem worried about scheduling crisis if the ISL takes place. “The ISL usually starts around third week of October. We will have to see what happens in other matches and plan accordingly,” Das said, adding that there was a window for another camp or friendlies in September as well. “The coach will chalk out the final plan.”
The AIFF knows any error in planning could be catastrophic for the team. It nearly cost them once during the first phase of the qualifiers. They can ill-afford to repeat the same mistakes again.
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