Renedy Singh: Now Indian players are much fitter and quicker

The former India international stated that although the fitness level is higher now, the current crop of players are not as comfortable with the ball.

The Indian national team’s draw against Qatar in September indicated that perhaps the beautiful game is heading in the right direction in the country. Head coach Igor Stimac is still relatively new in the job, but seems to have a clear understanding of whom he wants to promote and how he wants to develop young players in India.

There are many talents coming through the system these days, be it the youth level or using the Indian Super League (ISL) as a stepping stone to the national side. Khel Now recently had the opportunity to speak to former India ace Renedy Singh about the evolution of players from his time of playing to now in Indian football.

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While he reaffirmed that players these days are fitter than before and capable of playing at a quicker pace, he also asserted that they lack the technical traits which are necessary for one to standout.

When asked about his thoughts on what qualities an ideal midfielder should possess, he said, “What I see from Indian football now is that the players are much fitter. They are much quicker, playing at a quicker pace. But, there are some individual traits like being comfortable with the ball, which is something I can’t see much.”

“Even though players can run at speed and we have more tactical knowledge now, the only questionable thing is are the players comfortable with the ball? Not many. But, Sunil Chhetri is mightily confident with the ball and if we have more players like him who can be comfortable around multiple players, then we can do much better,” he added.

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Watch: Renedy Singh exclusive interview with Khel Now

Chhetri is someone who has played with Renedy and players half of Renedy’s age (the likes of Amarjit Kiyam or Narender Gahlot) as well. So, he’s someone to have seen it all and evolved throughout different generations.

Well, one can argue that at least the current batch of defenders are more comfortable in possession than the players were a decade back. Much of the Blue Tigers' defensive errors then came due to misplaced passes in their own third. But, thanks to technically sound defenders like Sandesh Jhingan and Adil Khan, India have looked much more comfortable moving the ball out from the back recently.

But, can the same be said about the current crop of midfielders? In his time, apart from being a highly-talented midfielder himself, Renedy played alongside the likes of Climax Lawrence, Clifford Miranda and Steven Dias often by his side. The national team’s midfielders these days are resilient and packed with potential, but as Singh explained, struggle to retain possession under pressure.

Renedy Singh has played with several greats during his time with the Indian Football Team

Lawrence was superb with his distribution skills, having the tendency to spread it around to his wingers or attackers really well through the spaces. Miranda was a more industrious figure, working his socks off to regain possession, but equally comfortable keeping the ball in the middle of the park.

Renedy was himself reputed as being a creative cog, with all the flair whenever the ball was at his feet. A technically sound midfielder, he knew how to keep possession and move the ball around with ease, in a period when India rarely saw much of  it during games.

Rowlling Borges & Sahal Abdul Samad

The Blue Tigers do have some blooming talents currently in their ranks. Rowllin Borges is like a hound in midfield, but fails to make too many passes forward, often ending up making a botched pass straight back to the opposition. Sahal Abdul Samad is also packed with all the trickery in the world, but he can’t keep the ball at his feet for too long before getting nervous.

Anirudh Thapa &  Brandon Fernandes

Anirudh Thapa is an individual who seems to be quite comfortable receiving and passing the ball forward, making good use of his creativity to force things for the Blue Tigers. Similarly, Brandon Fernandes adeptly drops deep, getting the ball and playing a defence-splitting pass forward to create chances for his side.

Udanta Singh & Ashique Kuruniyan

Going by Renedy's statement on players being quicker, Udanta Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan are live examples of it. They are electric bursting down the wings, but still don’t have the final product in their game, something which didn’t trouble Steven Dias during his time with Renedy.

Manvir Singh & Farukh Choudhary

But, the real stark difference is between the forwards of his time to the current batch. Manvir Singh is on the upward trajectory to becoming a strong striker, but he still lacks the finishing touches to his game, despite being pretty solid in possession and hold-up play. Farukh Choudhary acts more as a winger than a striker, while his finishing is also messy at times.

Balwant Singh & Jeje Lalpekhlua

Balwant Singh seems to have lost the lethal edge, which made him among India’s best a few years ago. While Jeje Lalpekhlua’s injury troubles have haunted him. Although, Chhetri was among India’s leading strikers back then as well, Bhaichung Bhutia and NP Pradeep were two other reliable options to come up with goals.

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Bhutia was also a marvel with the ball at his feet, having the trickery to glide past defenders, together with the knowledge of when and where to pass the ball. Pradeep was also a solid finisher in his own right. Further, the strikers back then knew how to link-up moves better with their fellow attackers and midfielders, as compared to the static forwards these days.

It’s rather evident that while Indian football has evolved in some aspects from Renedy’s days, on the technical side there’s still a lot of catching up to do. Perhaps the legendary midfielder’s advice on learning how to play better with the ball at your feet, should be made the motto to follow for young players, as Indian football closes in on a bright new era.