We were slow in taking shots: Thomas Dennerby

The tactician felt his side should've won against their West Asian opponents.

Thomas Dennerby and India were held to a 0-0 draw by tournament debutants Iran in their opening game of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. India looked the better side for majority of the game, while Iran dominated in patches.

It can be rightly said that more than a point gained, its two points dropped by India, with chances created and better fitness levels the only takeaways for Dennerby’s side. The Blue Tigresses were second to none in creating chances, but were below-par in making them count.

After the match, India’s head coach Thomas Dennerby spoke to the media and here’s what he had to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbZzYNeJG2g

Analysis of the game

India had many chances to go ahead, but couldn’t convert any of those. Sharing his analysis of the game, Thomas Dennerby said, “Yes, I’m disappointed because we had many chances to score goals. But, it is what it is.

"You’re not given goals, you have to score them. Lastly, we have a point from the first round. And whenever you get a point in the first round, you always rely on the rest of the group. But, I think we should’ve won the game.”

Improvements going forward

If the Blue Tigresses want to fuel their aspirations to go beyond the group stages, they need to regroup and improve upon their shortcomings. Thomas Dennerby stressed on the importance of scoring goals in order to improve going forward. “We need to be more sharp in terms of goalscoring chances.

"I think we defended well for majority of the game. We looked stressed sometimes, maybe because it was the first game and hopefully will feel more comfortable in the next game,” he explained.

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Iran’s Gameplay

Iran shocked everyone as they started the game with an attacking intent, instead of their typical conservative gameplay. Thomas Dennerby shared that he was a bit shock about how Iran started the game against his expectations.

“Yes, it was a little bit surprising in the beginning. Of course, you never know because every game is a new game. They were supposed them to start more defensively, but they came on a little bit higher than expected. After a while, we started to get confidence and take over the game,” he asserted.

Quarter-Final Aspirations

When asked about how much will this result complicate India’s primary goal of making it to the quarter-finals, Dennerby replied, “When you come off the first round with a point, you always have a chance to come through to the next round.

"Now, it’s up to us to try and get points against Chinese Taipei. The only thing you can do is focus on the next game and give your best.”

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Converting Chances

It was a tale of missed and unconverted chances for India against Iran. Dennerby was quizzed about what changes should the forwards make in order to convert their chances.

He replied, “No, if you have a chance, take it quickly and not take too long. We were little bit slow and gave the defenders a chance to come back. It’s small things and we need to improve upon it.”

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