KOLKATA, INDIA: Indian football’s biggest test, against Brazil, is now less than a week away. Hosting the Selecao at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta (Kolkata) on Saturday, October 3, will give the Blue Tigers another opportunity to test themselves against World Cup-playing opponents after their 1-1 draw against Panama in Bengaluru last week.
Nonetheless, facing Brazil will involve several challenges, the least of which will be in their final third. The Selecao, who have won the FIFA World Cup the most number of times (5), are undeniably the biggest footballing nation in the world. How well the Indian football team acquit themselves in this fixture will underline their ambitions.
While the country has hosted several teams from Brazil in the past, including Sao Paulo in 1989 and Pele’s visit with the New York Cosmos twelve years before, this is the first time that the serial winners will set foot on the subcontinent to compete against the Indian senior men’s team. Indian football fans will also remember Manisha Kalyan’s goal for the senior women in their 1-6 loss to Brazil in 2021.
Will Brazil play with 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1?
In Kolkata, Brazil are expected to feature a 4-3-3 formation, which has become their core identity under Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian, who is among the most successful coaches in the world, believes firmly in the philosophy of building a counter-attack. While he will ask his attackers to stretch India’s flanks, he will also push his midfielders to reconnoitre the field and push the hosts into their own half.
In their recent friendly with Australia, which the Selecao won 4-2, Ancelotti chose a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bruno Guimaraes and Danilo manning their midfield. Against an inexperienced Indian outfit, however, this is expected to change, with Guimaraes being handed central midfield duties alongside two wide-playing midfielders.
If Ancelotti plays with both Raphinha and Vinicius Junior against the Indians (which appears unlikely), this formation will allow them to receive through balls and crosses from the wide-lying midfielders. Guimaraes’ role, then, will lie largely in acting as the third central defender when they lose the ball. Juventus’ Douglas Luiz can also be used as an alternate option to Guimaraes in this role.
Brazil are likely to isolate a particular flank in attack
While Brazil’s strategy against the Indian football team with the ball is quite simple – isolating one flank and overloading the other – they will resort to making a high counter-press when they lose it. The idea is to stop the Indians from mounting a counter-attack (which looks improbable at any rate due to their lack of pace), while preventing a smooth transition from taking place. Stemming the flow in midfield will be key.
This strategy will involve all three attackers counter-pressing the Indian football player with the ball while the wide-lying midfielders and fullbacks will rush back to cut down the most obvious passing option open to the hosts. Since this will put the Indians under a lot of pressure (which they are not used to when in possession), Brazil can be sure to regain the ball just as soon as they lose it.
In attack, Brazil’s options will revolve around the likes of Endrick, Rayan and Estevao, since Ancelotti will loathe to use the experienced Raphinha and Vinicius until later in the game. All three attackers are known for their willingness to take on defenders in 1v1 situations. Most importantly, all Brazilians like crossing the ball towards Endrick, who will operate in the centre-forward position.
India’s low defensive block can be helpful against Brazil
Estevao, who took the joint-most shots (4) in their 1-1 draw with Australia (before the 4-2 win), also had a passing accuracy of 87%. Endrick’s success rate was 75% in passing, but Rayan impressed with his shooting accuracy of 100%. This shows that the Selecao do not prefer direct modes of attack, and choose passing, lobbing and crossing options instead. India’s job will be cut out when it comes to preventing these passes.
The Indian football team’s best chances of avoiding a Brazilian onslaught are by focusing on their defensive sub-style of a low block. This focuses on zonal marking and does not emphasise pressing. While a complaint against this system is that it gives the opposition too much time on the ball, the positive is that it reduces spaces both in midfield and central defence, thereby reducing scoring options.
Brazil are not expected to use direct modes of attack at any rate, except when crossing the ball, and if India use their low block effectively, they can have more time in possession. Coach Khalid Jamil is expected to continue using his famous 4-4-2 formation with two attackers, but the most important roles will be played by his central midfielders, Apuia and Ricky Shabong, who impressed last week.
Inverting the wings requires a strong Indian midfield
While the former was tasked with helping his central defenders out by positioning himself well and cutting down lines of attack, Shabong was given the duty to mark his opposite number and play in a box-to-box role. Jamil may use the same combination, or bring Anirudh Thapa in, who can flourish in the number six position with his decision-making when attempting to win second balls in midfield.
Abhishek Singh was used in an inverted position at right-back against Panama, with Akash Mishra pushed to serve as a wing-back. Ancelotti will do his homework by studying the Indian football team, and therefore, Jamil will have to look for new options. Vikram Partap Singh was rather quiet in the right winger’s role in Bengaluru, but that was primarily due to his deep placement to shield Abhishek.
Mishra and Ashique Kuruniyan overloaded the left Indian wing last week, but to challenge Brazil, the Blue Tigers will have to use similar tactics on their right as well. Jamil can try playing Manvir Singh on the right flank instead of as a forward, where he can fit in Edmund Lalrindika instead. Manvir has often played in this position at Mohun Bagan, and will be handy when providing cover to Abhishek.
A trial by fire for the Indian football team
The Indian football team’s defenders were impeccable with their marking against Panama, and the same should be expected. Although Jamil has the likes of Pramveer, Valpuia and Mehtab Singh in his roster, he is likely to stick with Bijoy Varghese and Anwar Ali if neither suffers from any niggles in the lead-up. A case can be made for attacking midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad’s inclusion in the XI to make runs behind Guimaraes.
In attack, Ryan Williams, who scored in Bengaluru, will continue working hard on timing his runs effectively. India can try using direct modes of attack, such as long balls from defence, but unless they string a few passes together, Brazil will comfortably snuff these challenges out. In possession, India’s formation will necessitate at least one overload on the flanks, and this can push the Selecao.
While the result is likely to be skewed in favour of the visitors, the Indian football team will gain a wealth of experience at the end of the ninety minutes in Kolkata. Jamil’s decision to back a young, inexperienced squad may necessitate a trial by fire, but playing against the five-time world champions on an autumn evening at the Salt Lake will provide the best assessment of Indian football’s global standing.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE – India vs Panama: Tactical breakdown of the most historic draw in Indian football
Cover image courtesy: India Sports Tribune/ Kalyan Sri
If you liked this article, consider subscribing to our website to stay in touch with the latest updates in sports. You can also follow the India Sports Tribune on X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. We would love to talk to you!
Leave a Reply