Tri-Nation Friendly Tournament: Five key takeaways from India's performance

India comprehensively won the tournament by winning both of their games. 

In a bid to bolster the national men’s team’s squad for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup to be held in January next year, AIFF organised the Tri-Nation Friendly Tournament at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal. The tournament comprised Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic alongside home side India.

India exhibited a good display in the competition to win both games and lift the trophy. Cashing in on the recent ISL form shown by the players, the whole team looked in sync with each other for a major part of the tournament. Going forward, the triumph against a better-ranked side in the form of Kyrgyz Republic will boost the confidence of the team as the time nears the coveted continental tournament. 

In light of these, let us take a look at the five key takeaways for the Indian men’s team from the recently concluded Tri-Nation Friendly Tournament.

5. Chhetri's resilience

Despite not being able to get an on-field goal to his name, the veteran striker did not keep any stone unturned to find the back of the net. He looked desperate to score and made many runs in opposition penalty areas searching for his goal.

He made several runs into good spaces, was almost always on the receiving end of the crosses that came from the flanks, and looked threatening for a major part of both games.

However, his finishing lacked what was an intrinsic part of vintage Sunil Chhetri, accuracy. Yet, he got his 85th international career goal (suprassing Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas), which he would like to build upon before the commencement of the AFC Asian Cup in January.

4. Increasing competition for the goalkeeper's position

With the kind of performance shown by both goalkeepers in the two games, one can say that India’s goalkeeping options have significantly expanded. Good-performing goalkeepers like Vishal Kaith and Prabhsukhan Gill were not a part of the squad at the first hand.

On top of that, the performance of Amrinder Singh against Myanmar showcased that he is the number two to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and has the ability to surpass his compatriot. Hence, going forward, India head coach Igor Stimac will have this ‘good problem’ of having many top-notch goalkeepers who can make a spot in the playing XI.

3. Impressive performance from debutants

One of the most important takeaways from the tournament was the performance of debutants who made their first international appearances. In this regard, Naorem Mahesh Singh deserves a special mention as his performance was praised by the head coach himself after the first game.

Moreover, other debutants too, made their mark in the squad by displaying top-notch performances, examples of which include players like Mehtab Singh and Ritwik Das. All these players continued with the form that they had displayed in the ISL. Thus, their inclusion in the squad proved to be a roll of the dice that had a strong impact on the outcome of each game.

2. Good display from midfielders

Often, when India play against higher-ranked teams, the midfield looks to be clueless about the passage of the game. However, this time, playing at home, Indian midfielders upped their game and kept control over the midfield for a major part of both games.

Midfielders like Anirudh Thapa showed both versatility and played in supposedly non-traditional positions. Yet, their performances did not dip. Thapa proved to be a constant threat to the opposition by making sharp forward runs into the 18-yard area. Similarly, other midfielders like Brandon Fernandes, Suresh Singh Wangjam, and Jeakson Singh also came to the occasion to give India a memorable Tri-Nation Friendly Tournament.

1. Two clean sheets

One of the biggest takeaways for Stimac from the competition is a comprehensive defensive display. The side was able to maintain a clean sheet in both of their games. Barring a few glitches, the whole defensive unit was in sync despite different sets of defenders being fielded for the games.

Both experienced defenders like Sandesh Jhingan and youngsters like Anwar Ali impressed in the tournament, giving opposition attackers no space to exploit. Moreover, both the goalkeepers, i.e. Amrinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, played their parts equally well in achieving these clean sheets.