Brazil Defeat Still Fresh, But India Head Coach Khalid Jamil Backs India To Bounce Back Against Uruguay

India head coach Khalid Jamil admitted the team has had "little time" to recover from their 0-4 defeat to Brazil but backed his players to cope with the demanding three-day turnaround ahead of their clash against two-time world champions Uruguay on Tuesday. A spirited India showed early promise and held Brazil at bay for 27 minutes, with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also thwarting an attempt from Vinicius Jr. But the five-time world champions cruised to a 4-0 win in effortless fashion in their historic friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

Ryan Williams and Manvir Singh also had chances to score a dream goal against the South American giants.

India, who are hosting three friendlies in this international window, had earlier held Panama to a 1-1 draw in Bengaluru before facing Brazil. They will now take on two-time World Cup champions Uruguay on Tuesday.

“After the last game, we had less recovery time. I think Uruguay are a strong team. They are very good," Jamil said at the pre-match press conference at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday.

"I have seen them; they have a good coach (Diego Forlan) and quality players. I have seen their last two matches and they are a good team, so it will not be easy. It will be very hard."

The 49-year-old was quick to put the issue into perspective.

“We don't have any problem playing after two days. I think it will be enough for the players. All the players know how to recover. They are mature and knowledgeable; they know about it.

“So I don't think it will be a problem. Yes, we have to face the challenge.”

Jamil said India would have to guard against conceding an early goal and remain focused against a quality Uruguay side.

“Not conceding an early goal is important. We have to go with the flow, but we are going to play against a good team. One mistake can cost us dearly, so we have to be very careful and not take this match lightly at all.

“They are a good team, both offensively and defensively. They have experienced players and their coach is also one of the best. We have to be careful in all aspects.”

Asked how many substitutions would be allowed, Jamil said: “After the meeting, we will decide. Maybe eight, six or 11 changes, we will see.”

Akash Mishra echoes concern

India left-back Akash Mishra also acknowledged the short recovery period but said the players were ready to respond to the demands of the international window.

“I feel after the last game, we have had very little time to prepare for Uruguay. I think, as a team and as football players, we don't have to dwell on the result or think too much about what happened in the past. We have a very good coaching team, so we have to prepare for them and do our best.

“Like I said before, this is what the team demands from me. We have to play whether it is after two days, three days or whenever we are called upon. For me as a player, I will always be prepared, whether it is two days or three days. We have to play and we have to perform.”

Mishra also explained the excitement among the Indian players after the Brazil match, when several of them were seen taking photographs with Brazil's star players, including Vinicius Jr.

“You can show the excitement before the game and after the game. But during the game, for those 90 minutes, I feel there was no kind of misbehaviour from the boys. I think they played really well. They gave their 100 per cent for all 90 minutes.

“Yes, after the loss, of course the mood was not very good. But once the final whistle was blown, the excitement came out. They have watched these players growing up and have seen them play on TV. Then they got to meet them, and the excitement came out.”

The Mumbai City left-back insisted that the presence of Brazil did not mean India had been preparing specifically for one opponent.

“When we came to this camp, we knew the calibre of these teams and we were prepared for them. There is nothing like, ‘Okay, we are only prepared for Brazil' or that we wanted to play only Brazil. There is nothing like that.

“We know the capabilities of all the teams and we have to perform at our best level.

“We have to keep our concentration in all three games. Like the coach said, two are done, one more to go, and we have to finish on a very good note.”

Delayed ISL also affected

Mishra also stressed the importance of regular competitive football, with the Indian Super League set to begin.

“You can train as much as you want, but in the end, game time matters. So, as the season starts and you play more matches, I think it will help the players,” Mishra said.

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