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According to predictions, hosts India won The Asian Champions Trophy for the fourth time on Sunday with a thrilling 4-3 victory against Malaysia. For Craig Fulton’s squad, it was the ideal tournament to get ready for the Asian Games, which will take place the following month. The presence of these teams will once more thwart India’s attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Paris, which will only be open to Asian Games champions and force everyone else to play in a qualification competition early the following year.
Fulton claimed that India’s 11 matches over the past three weeks, including 7 in the Asian Champions Trophy and 4 in a quadrangular event in Spain, came at the perfect moment for him to evaluate his team and communicate with them.
The Asian Champions-Complete philosophy buy-In
Perhaps the most significant lesson learned by Indians from this competition is how well they have adapted to Fulton’s style of play. Fulton’s ability to persuade everyone to adopt his strategy in such a short amount of time is to be commended, according to Captain Harmanpreet Singh.
Although India was far from flawless, there were enough indications of Fulton’s ideals with the team’s performance throughout the competition. Fulton’s “defend to win” strategy was perfectly shown in the semifinal matchup with Japan. India only allowed Japan eight entries inside the circle and one shot on goal. India scored several goals without even needing penalty corners thanks to their strong defense, which paved the stage for the quality in forward areas to emerge.
The Asian Champions-Indian forwards show promising signs
India should have an aligned attacking approach, according to Fulton, so they won’t have to rely solely on Harmanpreet’s drag flicks to score goals.
India was missing a backbone in the attacking area because Abhishek was not on the squad for this competition. Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh stood out for their skill, especially in the crucial games, but each attacker who made the team demonstrated why they were selected. Despite their tendency to get along well, the two have historically had trouble scoring enough goals.
Only Pakistan’s drag-flicker Muhammad Khan (5 goals) and Harmanpreet (9 goals) scored more field goals throughout the tournament than Akashdeep, who had four. Gurjant Singh and Karthi Selvam both scored twice, and Mandeep contributed three goals.
Despite knowing that Sukhjeet Singh only had one goal in the competition, he was undoubtedly India’s finest attacking player. With his direct running and technique, he was a continuous danger, and his decision-making in the last third has much improved.
Fulton will have a delightful headache prior to the Asian Games as he must decide who will take Abhishek’s place in Hangzhou.
The Asian Champions-Manpreet’s return to midfield provides impetus
Shifting Manpreet Singh to the left-hand corner of the defense was one of the most crucial personnel choices Fulton made when he initially came over. The former captain was India’s pivot in the middle of the pitch for several seasons, acting as the center of the team’s open play. Fulton put him back in the spot where he consistently performed well, and that’s what he became for this event.
Manpreet played a more subdued role in the World Cup earlier this year, allowing the younger players around like Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Shamsher Singh to take risks while he supported them with insurance. That altered the outcome of the competition since he was always sprinting and pushing the squad forward.
Manpreet remarked after the game, “Myself, Vivek, and Hardik are defensive midfielders, but the coach has urged us to move forward when we can since we have the talent to do so.
The Asian Champions-Wins didn’t come easily, which is a positive indication.
India succeeded in many ways and via various circumstances, which would have greatly thrilled Fulton. In the league stage, they thrashed China, Malaysia, and Pakistan, and in the semifinals, they defeated Japan.
The 3 games from which India would have learned most were the final and the two league matches versus Korea and Japan. India came from behind in the competition, demonstrating their resilience and strength. When they played Korea, they had a comfortable lead over them, but when Korea put pressure on them in the fourth quarter, their performance levels sharply declined. Even if they weren’t at their best, they persisted.
India encountered difficulty against Japan in the league round getting past a disciplined defence, both on the pitch and from penalty corners. However, they learned from their mistakes and easily overcame Japan in the semifinals.
Fulton would have been especially pleased with the team’s adaptability and capacity for coolness under stressful situations. Even if the coach is aware of this, they have a long way to go. The trophy win may have been expected, but India’s recent ten-day achievements may have been much more meaningful.