Three changes Khalid Jamil needs to make to Indian football team after CAFA Nations Cup

India clinched a historic bronze medal in their first-ever CAFA Nations Cup appearance.

Khalid Jamil got the first taste of the international football scene as the Indian football team head coach in the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup campaign. To his credit, he’s actually had a successful start to this stint as the Blue Tigers boss, as he was able to guide his side to a third-place finish in the competition.

Despite being heavy underdogs in the competition, India were able to punch above their weight to move past the group stages. They were then able to defeat Oman in the third-place playoff clash, getting the better of a team well over 40 places above them in the FIFA World Rankings.

The Blue Tigers showcased immense resiliency in pulling off some sturdy performances to grind their way to a successful outing in the competition.

With that being said, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Jamil’s side. India had their share of struggles and issues to deal with throughout the competition, especially with their attacking output.

Here, we look at the three changes Jamil must make to the Indian team after the CAFA Nations Cup.

Also Read: India’s standout stars from CAFA Nations Cup 2025 campaign

3. More attacking contributions from full-backs

Because of the quality of opponents that India faced at the CAFA Nations Cup, Khalid Jamil opted to have a pretty deep defensive line. This meant that on the majority of the occasions in the matches, the full-backs were tasked to stay well inside their own half rather than look to make overlapping runs going forward.

However, continuing to do so can cause severe limitations to India’s attacking threat. Unless Jamil gives his full-backs some freedom to make overlapping runs to support the wingers, India will continue to struggle to properly open up the opposition backline or stretch their defenders.

Even though Jamil can’t be faulted for wanting added defensive protection with defensive full-backs, he needs to find a better balance with his approach in that aspect. He needs to change his style a little bit to allow the full-backs to be braver with their forward movement, get into more open spaces in the final third and help create more chances with their final third delivery.

2. A creative no.8 option

Even though India showcased impressive defensive fortitude in the matches, they were forced to rely on their midfielders to help protect the backline for the majority of the occasions. Indeed, the midfield pivot saw the two deeper midfielders sit quite deep in trying to close down opposition players, keep a tight shape and add more bodies around their own box.

That left the attacking midfield, which was Naorem Mahesh Singh for the majority of the games, with a lot to do all by himself. Mahesh was almost overburdened in the opposition box, needing to drive his side forward and then be expected to create clear-cut chances.

If Jamil wants his India side to be a more efficient machine in the attacking transitions, he’ll need more creativity from his midfielders. This includes the addition of a combative, energetic no.8 option who can contribute more often in the opposition half.

Someone like Sahal Abdul Samad can bring that added creative boost for India, being able to create chances and combine with the attacking midfielder to trouble the opposition midfielders. A slight change is required to India’s midfield setup under Jamil for the Blue Tigers to produce more entertaining attacking football and be a more well-oiled machine in the attacking patterns.

1. Find a more prolific striker

Khalid Jamil opted against picking Sunil Chhetri in his India squad for the CAFA Nations Cup, as he wanted to use this tournament to give playing time to some younger forwards at his disposal. He showed a lot of faith in Chennaiyin FC forward Irfan Yadwad, who was given the chance to lead the line for India in all four matches.

However, the 24-year-old forward was unable to justify his selection. Yadwad seemed uncomfortable and lost in the centre-forward role, failing to trouble the defenders with his movement or execution in the final third.

He was not able to get a single goal contribution or even properly test the goalkeepers with any effort. Jamil has to change his striker for the upcoming matches for India’s attacking threat. He needs to find a stronger and more clinical no.9 option, someone who can not only link up smartly with teammates but also get to the end of chances and finish them off clinically.

Jamil needs an explosive striker in his disposal and someone who can efficiently convert chances to raise India’s attacking threat for the foreseeable future.

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