Three things about Indian football team Khalid Jamil has to fix immediately

Khalid Jamil’s first assignment as India coach will CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

Khalid Jamil realises the intimidating task ahead of him as the new head coach of the Indian football team in the months to come. The experienced gaffer will be managing the players for the first time in preparations for the CAFA Nations Cup in September (2025), before two vital matches in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification against Singapore.

It will take Jamil some time to properly establish his playing style in the Indian team, but there are certain pressing points he needs to take heed of. The Blue Tigers have shown signs of vulnerability in many areas of their playing style, which the gaffer has to prioritize fixing as soon as possible.

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Unless he’s able to find solutions to these problems, the Indian side are unlikely to show any major improvement in their performances nor be able to get out of this rut. Here we look at the three things the Khalid Jamil has to immediately fix about the Indian football team.

Also Read: Three possible changes Khalid Jamil could bring to Indian Football team’s playing style

3. Improve endurance under pressure

Khalid Jamil has proven all through his coaching career that he’s a coach obsessed with maintaining a sturdy defensive shape and his entire team being willing to defend as one unit. Well, he will need to tweak certain aspects of India’s playing style and their approach to be make them a really stubborn unit.

A major thing that Khalid Jamil needs to quickly look to fix is how the Blue Tigers can hold their own under extreme pressure. Under Manolo Marquez, India often had long bouts of impressive defending, only to concede silly goals because of their own lapses in concentration to gift results to opponents.

Jamil has to ensure this issue cannot persist with the team. He needs to make them mentally stronger against adversity and bring a sense of calmness in his squad when they’re put under pressure during matches.

Jamil has to work with his players to ensure they can maintain their concentration levels all throughout the game. He needs to aid his defenders by getting his midfielders or even forwards to defend deep and hold a sturdy line to frustrate opponents. If able to improve India’s resiliency when defending under heavy pressure, Jamil can significantly strengthen the Blue Tigers’ defensive resolve.

2. Make India a more efficient counter-attacking force

One of the most decisive factors of teams coached by Khalid Jamil is how ruthless and prolific they tend to be on the counter-attack. Jamshedpur FC scored a host of goals from counter-attacks in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) season, helping them progress al the way to the semifinals.

Jamil often likes his side to sit deep, soak pressure and then for the ball to be quickly moved to his quick, wide players to move the ball forward.

However, India have been quite wasteful in their counter-attacking play in recent months and struggled to make chances count. Jamil has to tweak his tactics accordingly to benefit his players and make them understand the most prolific way to burst forward on counter-attacks.

He has to work hard with them in training to finish off quick counter-attacks clinically and raise India’s goal-scoring ability from that aspect. If India can master their counter-attacking patterns under Jamil, they’ll have a genuine outlet for goals and can surprise opponents with their swift transitions as well.

1. Fix the goal-scoring problem

Now this is definitely the trickiest challenge that Khalid Jamil will be facing as the India national team head coach. India have faced a major goal-scoring issue over the last year or so, having only scored three goals in their four matches in 2025 so far.

Before that, they had only scored two goals in the last four matches of 2024. Despite creating a decent amount of chances in matches, the Blue Tigers’ players lack that ruthlessness in actually putting the ball into the back of the net. Jamil has to work hard with his players to improve this, and it doesn’t only include the forwards.

He also has to amp up training sessions focused on finishing chances and putting away opportunities under intense pressure from defenders or goalkeepers. Things won’t improve for India unless they are able to fix their goal-scoring problem, which is why it’s vital for Jamil to ensure his players are calmer and more decisive in front of the goal.

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