New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Giving a clear message to his wards, India’s Under-23 football head coach Naushad Moosa has emphasised the importance of understanding and aligning with the goals of the senior team for a seamless transition.
The Blue Colts will face Malaysia in two U-23 friendlies in Kuala Lumpur on March 22 and 25, with the team having their final preparatory camp here.
“It’s important for us to see what the senior team wants and play according to that. These are the boys who will ultimately go and play for the senior team,” Moosa told the-aiff.com.
“The most important thing for us at this stage is to give the boys an idea of the way we want to play so that they can execute that on the pitch.” Having analysed the recent games of Malaysian colts, Moosa said they play attacking game as he urged his team to play in a “compact manner”.
“We’ve shown a couple of their matches to the boys and we are strategising according to that. They’ve got an attacking team that does not play too many passes in midfield.
“They like to move the ball quickly and take a lot of shots at the goal, so our boys must be careful. We must play in a compact manner against them,” he added.
The Malaysian side are preparing for the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup next month.
The Blue Colts failed to make it to the U23 Asian Cup after losing their two Qualifiers against China (1-2) and UAE (0-3) last September. However, they made the quarterfinals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
The Malaysians are coming off victories over Bangladesh (2-0) and Philippines (4-0) along with a loss to Thailand in the Qualifiers before losing to China (1-2) in a friendly recently.
India U23 probables: Goalkeepers: Arsh Anwer Shaikh, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill and Vishal Yadav.
Defenders: Bikash Yumnam, Chingambam Shivaldo Singh, Hormipam Ruivah, Narender, Robin Yadav and Sandip Mandi.
Midfielders: Abhishek Suryavanshi, Brison Fernandes, Mark Zothanpuia, Mohammed Aimen, Phijam Sanathoi Meetei, Thoiba Singh Moirangthem and Vibin Mohanan.
Forwards: Abdul Rabeeh, Gurkirat Singh, Irfan Yadwad, Isak Vanlalruatfela, Khumanthem Ninthoinganba Meetei, Mohammed Sanan, Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Samir Murmu, Sivasakthi Narayanan and Vishnu Puthiya Valappill. PTI AYG TAP
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