India head coach Khalid Jamil has urged his players to maintain their concentration for the entire 90 minutes when they face two-time world champions Uruguay in their final international friendly of the October window at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 6).
India suffered a 4-0 defeat against Brazil in their previous outing, but Jamil believes the result should serve as another learning experience for his young side. With very little recovery time between the two matches, the Indian coach admitted that Uruguay will present another difficult challenge.
“It will not be an easy game. It will be very hard,” Jamil said during the pre-match press conference.
“Uruguay are very good. They have a good coach and quality players. They have played their last two matches and have also had good recovery time,” he added.
Jamil’s biggest concern heading into the game is concentration. The India coach felt lapses against Brazil proved costly and stressed that his players cannot afford similar mistakes against Uruguay.
“Talking about the last game, I said there was a lack of concentration. In this game, we must start with good concentration from the first minute to the end of the game. You must have that belief that you can get a good result. You are playing on your home ground.”
The coach also dismissed concerns over the short recovery period, insisting that his players are mature enough to handle the demands of international football.
“We don’t have any problem playing after two days. I think it will be enough for the players. All the players know how to recover. They are not like before. Now they are mature, they are more knowledgeable and they know about it,” Jamil said.
Jamil also indicated that India will not adopt an unnecessarily defensive approach against Uruguay. Instead, the team will adapt according to the demands of the match.
“If it is required to defend, we will defend. If it is required to attack, we will go for attack. According to the situation, it must be,” he explained.
The India coach also dismissed the idea that he is simply a defensive-minded coach, pointing to the attacking options available to him.
“All credit goes to the players. I just give them information, they decide. Because of the players, we have an attacking plan, that is why we decided,” Jamil said.
With the Indian Super League season set to begin soon, Jamil believes the international window has also highlighted the importance of game time and longer camps. He also wants India to focus on results while simultaneously building a team for the future.
“The result is also required. If you get a good result, confidence will be there and then we can try. There is also a plan to make a solid, good team. We cannot specify on one thing. We have to think about the future also,” Jamil said.
After India’s defeat against Brazil, the next encounter against Uruguay comes in a span of three days. And Jamil says the players have been upbeat ahead of the match, which is a positive sign for them.
“Everybody know about their duty. And I see that in practice, everybody wants to do practice. No one complains. So, that is a good sign. And talking about, thinking about anything, I don’t have much of count time. Tomorrow, we are playing. So, it is better to think about that. That will be good for us,” he concluded.