Kolkata: The gulf between India and five-time world champions Brazil may be enormous, but India head coach Khalid Jamil wants his players to embrace rather than be overwhelmed by the occasion, urging them to “handle the pressure”, keep things “simple” and give their best when the two sides meet in Kolkata Saturday.
In what promises to be one of the biggest nights in the history of Indian football, the Blue Tigers will take on the sixth-ranked Brazil at the Salt Lake Stadium, less than a week after holding world No. 44 Panama to a gritty 1-1 draw.
“Pressure is there. I am not lying. Pressure is there. But we must take pressure,” Jamil said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
Asked about having sleepless night, he said: “Talking about sleep, everybody knows the importance of this game. And tomorrow, yes, we have to give our best.”
For Jamil, the scale of the opposition should not alter India’s approach.
Brazil may be one of the best teams in the world, but the Indian coach wants his players to focus on their responsibilities and avoid trying to do anything extraordinary.
“According to me, you must do simple things. Not to do extra,” he said.
“We already told the player, we are playing with good team. Any mistake will cost us very badly. So, we have to give our best and be cautious.”
Jamil also dismissed the notion that India can approach the contest with a ‘nothing-to-lose’ mindset.
“No, it is not like that. Yes, we are playing with a good team. One of the best teams in the world. But we have to take responsibility and give our best. Not to take it lightly,” he said.
“The result, it is not in our hand. If you give your best, anything can happen.”
The Indian coach is also leaving his tactical options open, insisting the team will respond to the demands of the game rather than decide beforehand whether to attack or defend.
“If it is required to be defensive, we have to be defensive. If we have to attack, we will attack according to the situation,” Jamil said.
“And yes, if you are playing a stronger team, defensively you have to be strong.”
Jamil knows Brazil’s threat extends well beyond their headline names, warning his players that the five-time world champions have quality throughout their squad.
“They are defensively very strong. Attacking is good. If we don’t focus on one thing, we have to concentrate on the other,” he said.
“Overall, we have to be alert all the time. Because they have quality players. They don’t have only one player. All the players, even a substitute.”
The magnitude of the occasion also means fear and pressure are inevitable, but Jamil’s message to his players is straightforward.
“Fear will be there. As I told you, pressure will be there. We have to handle pressure. Just go there and give your best. Whatever responsibility is given, you must think on it and do simple things.”
The coach had only one message when asked about the expectations and criticism surrounding the historic encounter.
“We have, everyone must support India. Only one word. That’s it,” he signed off.
Staying calm is key: Anwar Ali
For India defender Anwar Ali, the key is similarly to remain calm and trust the plan laid out by the coaching staff.
“We have to just go through our coach’s plan. So we have to follow that. And in the field, we have to take responsibilities. Every player has to prove themselves and give their 100 per cent,” Anwar said.
The centre-back believes India’s performance against Panama provides useful confidence, but insists there is no point dwelling on that result with Brazil now standing in their way.
“I think last match we played very good. But we have to forget that match because we have a very big game tomorrow. So we have to focus on that and give our 100%.”
Anwar also stressed that Brazil will require a different tactical approach from the one India employed against Panama.
“As I said, Brazil and Panama have different tactics. So, we have to go through our coach’s plan. In that game, we had different plans. So, in this game, maybe we will change,” he said.
“And maybe we will see what we have done mistakenly in the last game. So, we don’t have to do the same.”
Asked how India would ensure that respect for Brazil did not turn into fear, Anwar said the players simply needed to control their emotions.
“Of course, we have to take pressure because it is a very big game. We don’t have to be casual or over-thinking. We just have to focus,” he said.
“Because everyone knows how Brazil play and what they are. So, we just have to keep calm in the field and give our best.”
Anwar’s message to those watching around the world was equally simple.
“We just have to give our best so that we can do something in Indian football.”