Five things Igor Stimac needs to work on in upcoming Indian NT camp

The Indian national team camp will begin on May 15.

The Indian national team will be assembling together on May 15 to start preparing for the Hero Intercontinental Cup. Igor Stimac's side will take part in that competition for the first time since 2019 in June (the last time it was played), and the mentor wants his players in perfect shape for the upcoming games.

The Croatian manager has announced the squad for the preparatory camp a few days back. Stimac recently led the Blue Tigers to win the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament in March, which also helped India gain places in the FIFA rankings.

However, the tactician will hope to get them to produce even better performances going forward. There are a number of things that the Indian national team need to improve to perform at their highest level. So here are five things Igor Stimac needs to work on in the upcoming camp.

5. Work on set-pieces

India have struggled with their set-piece delivery over their last few games. A few years ago, the Blue Tigers used set-pieces to their advantage to create some of their biggest scoring chances. The lengthy national camp should give Stimac an opportunity to work on improving the quality of free-kicks and corners. India does have quality set-piece takers, but they need better guidance at being pinpoint with their delivery.

Stimac also has to train the defenders and more physical players like Manvir Singh or Sandesh Jhingan in being more clinical during corners. Jhingan, to his credit, did score a nice goal from a free-kick against Kyrgyz Republic – but that was a rare set-piece goal. Stimac must ensure India can be clinical as they were in their last game with their set-pieces, which can amplify their chances of scoring more goals.

4. Helping youngsters get ready for the matches

Igor Stimac has added some new faces to his squad for the upcoming games. He’s claimed to be using these games to give opportunities to younger players and help them gain experience for the big stages. Fans can probably expect to see a relatively better India squad for the Hero Intercontinental Cup games. But it’ll be upon Stimac to ensure that his younger or inexperienced players are well equipped for the matches ahead.

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He’ll probably have to work closely with the youngsters, helping them adapt to his playing style perfectly. He’ll need to get them to learn their roles in the team, as well as exactly what is needed in which scenarios. Stimac will probably work on their passing ability, pressing style as well as maintaining concentration to cope at the highest level.

3. Find his ideal No. 9

India are yet to find a worthy successor to Sunil Chhetri in that No. 9 position. Chhetri, unfortunately, can’t play in that role anymore due to his age. This means Stimac will get the perfect chance to identify his next No. 9 in the upcoming camp. He realizes the importance for a reliable, goal-scoring striker for India to succeed in the future. He’ll have a few options to choose from - including the likes of Manvir Singh, Ishan Pandita, Rahim Ali and Sivasakthi Narayanan.

The Bengaluru FC star, Siva is likely to get his breakthrough in this one and has a huge opportunity to impress Stimac. The Croatian mentor will need to coach the striker to be more involved inside the box and time his runs perfectly to get at the end of things. He’ll also want the strikers involved with the link-up play, but most important, finish chances perfectly to strengthen India’s attacking ability.

2. Being more accurate in transitions

The reality of the situation for the Indian national team is they need to play on the back foot against major international teams. They can’t expect to dominate possession in those games and are forced to show resiliency in sustaining pressure. To their credit, India have done that pretty well under Igor Stimac – memorably in the 0-0 draw with Qatar a few years ago. However, India could turn these draws into wins if ruthless on the counter-attack. The transitional play for the Blue Tigers will probably be on the microscope for Stimac in the upcoming games. He’ll need them to improve their transitions on both sides, offensively and defensively.

Most important, however, he’ll need them to work on their counter-attacks from their own half to the opposition box. He’ll probably work tightly with the quick wingers like Lallianzuala Chhangte and Bipin Singh on these matters, teaching them how to quickly get the ball from one place to another and troubling opponents. If India can really work on improving their counter-attacking ability and be able to mount better moves together in these swift breaks, they could score many more goals going forward.

1. Finish the chances better

It’s not like India have not been able to create chances in their games, but their finishing has often cost them. The Blue Tigers have rarely been part of high-scoring games under Stimac and the major reason behind that is their underwhelming finishing. India often get into really promising areas in the final third, only to end up fluffing their chances with poor finishing.

Stimac really has to emphasize better finishing and work with his players to make them train on their finishing. He has to hold regular drills in which he needs to get the forward and midfielders all working on their finishing. This involves working on their headers and basic finishing inside the box. If the Indian players can really improve their final product, they can pick up some major wins in the Hero Intercontinental Cup and only do better going forward.