AFC Asian Cup 2023, India vs Uzbekistan: 3 Concerning Areas That Need Improving For Blue Tigers

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India took on Australia in their maiden AFC Asian Cup 2023 match which ended in a 0-2 loss for them. While the Socceroos were the favourites to win comfortably, the Blue Tigers fought admirably till the 90th minute.

The Indian football team's defense was impeccable. However, little can be said about their midfield and attack. Considering, they have the luxury to go more on the offense against Uzbekistan in their next match, they need to fix a few things.

Vexing fullback confusion

The coach had the options in Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal Akash Mishra, and Nikhil Poojary. Bose and Kotal are more defense-minded than the other two and coach depended on Bose's experience against Australia. However, his rash tackles added more problems for India.

Considering the coach can line up a more attacking side against Uzbekistan in AFC Asian Cup, Mishra on the left and Poojary on the right can be perfect. However, there are reports of Akash Mishra unavailable for the game, so Bose is likely to start again.

Hollow midfield

The absence of both Sahal Abdul Samad and Jeakson Singh in the midfield was bound to haunt India in this match. Deepak Tangri did his best in Jeakson’s place. He provided the much-needed physical prowess against the Socceroos.

However, Jeakson's ball-passing ability and skills were missed in the opening AFC Asian Cup match. The same can be said for Sahal. The gap left by his absence could not be filled. Hopefully, if he recovers by the next match, the connection to the final third will be re-established. However, with him training alone, it's not a good sign for India,

Late substitutions

It was evident that coach Igor Stimac wanted his defense compact from the start. However, this saw no flow to the final third from deep down. The coach brought on Mishra, Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Liston Colaco, and Vikram Pratap Singh late into the match. These players have the skill set to affect a match in a big way. However, they had little time to adapt and make some impact on the game.