India’s campaign at the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers mirrored a recurring challenge faced by the senior national team – lack of finishing.
The Blue Colts came agonizingly close to qualifying for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025, in what was their best attempt in over two decades.
Unfortunately, despite their efforts, they missed out by the narrowest of margins.
An anxious end
The team entered their final Group G match against Laos with a clear objective: secure a win and hope the results from other groups would work in their favor.
After a strong victory over Mongolia (4-1) and a narrow defeat to IR Iran (0-1), India had to win against Laos to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The Blue Colts did their part, defeating Laos 2-0, but their fate depended on results from other games.
The qualification format saw the group winners and the five best second-placed teams advance to the final tournament.
Despite their win against Laos, India’s fate remained uncertain as they anxiously awaited the results of other matches across nine groups.
Initially ranked among the top five second-placed teams, India eventually fell to seventh place, missing out on qualification due to goal difference.
India collected six points from their three matches, the same as Thailand and Jordan, but their goal difference of +4 wasn’t enough to surpass Thailand (+17) or Jordan (+8).
While teams like Syria, Uzbekistan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia won their groups, second-placed teams like Yemen, Kyrgyz Republic, Australia, Thailand, and Jordan edged out India for the final spots.
The final hours of India’s campaign were filled with tension.
As the players checked live updates from other games, hopes flickered until Kyrgyz Republic’s 1-1 draw with Japan and Australia’s draw with Qatar sealed India’s fate.
A last glimmer of hope rested on Jordan defeating Qatar, but that too was dashed when Qatar won 3-2.
India’s head coach, Ranjan Chaudhuri, was disappointed with the outcome but praised his players for their efforts.
“The boys played so well, I am proud of them. But sometimes, things just don’t go your way,” he said in an interaction with the media.
The coach emphasized India’s inability to convert chances, especially in matches against Laos and Mongolia, as a key factor that ultimately cost them qualification.
In a campaign that began in front of empty stands, their final match saw a crowd of over 3,000 in Vientiane,
Laos, who vocally supported their home team. However, in a touching moment of sportsmanship, Laotian fans gave India a standing ovation as they left the stadium after their victory.
Though the Blue Colts didn’t qualify, they can take pride in their performance, knowing they pushed themselves to the hilt.
Yet, as is the case the senior team, their inability to finish crucial chances will be a key area of improvement that needs addressing in the future.
Should India consider a foreign coach?
Given India’s ongoing struggles with finishing and converting crucial chances, there is growing debate over whether a foreign coach could bring a fresh perspective to the national youth teams.
Foreign coaches often bring with them a wealth of experience from different football cultures, with a focus on tactical discipline, advanced training methods, and high-intensity gameplay.
While India’s current coaching staff has done commendable work, a foreign coach could help bridge the gap between creating chances and finishing them, an area where Indian teams have consistently faltered.
Additionally, exposure to international coaching techniques might help Indian players adapt to higher levels of competition, potentially raising their performance in crucial moments.
India’s finishing woes
Solving India’s scoring issues requires a multifaceted approach that goes beyond just tactical adjustments.
Firstly, there needs to be a stronger emphasis on developing clinical finishing skills at the grassroots level, ensuring young players are trained to be composed in front of goal.
Incorporating more attacking drills in practice, such as one-on-one situations, finishing under pressure, and precision shooting, can help players become more efficient scorers.
Additionally, strengthening the connection between midfielders and strikers through better playmaking and ball delivery can create more high-quality scoring opportunities.
Bringing in specialized coaches or consultants focused on offensive play and finishing could also provide targeted improvements, ensuring that missed chances do not continue to cost the team in critical matches.
One major issue contributing to India’s scoring problems is the common practice of converting natural strikers into wingers across various teams in Indian football.
While this may help in terms of versatility and tactical flexibility, it often takes away from a player’s core strength—scoring goals.
Strikers, who are instinctively positioned to finish chances, are shifted out wide, where their primary focus becomes crossing or creating rather than finishing.
This dilution of attacking focus hinders India’s ability to develop clinical goal-scorers, as players lose the sharpness and confidence needed to operate in the penalty box.
For India to improve its goal conversion rate, it’s crucial that natural strikers are given consistent opportunities to play in their preferred role, honing their finishing skills and building their instincts in front of goal.
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