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It's no secret that the March FIFA window left a sour taste for the Indian men's national team players and head coach Manolo Marquez. While the wait for a first win in 16 months came to an end against the Maldives, defender Sandesh Jhingan admitted that the goalless draw with Bangladesh was a substandard start to the Asian Cup Qualifiers. Now, all focus turns to the crucial away tie against Hong Kong on June 10.
It was the first time since June 2023 that India kept two clean sheets in a row. That's one side of the picture. For Jhingan, the bigger picture is that clean sheets are not enough, and only victory can satisfy the Blue Tigers. "Each game we go into, we want to win. The same goes for the opponents we face. It always feels good to keep a clean sheet, but we've come a long way from that. We cherish the clean sheet, but we know we should've won that game," Jhingan said as quoted by the AIFF press release. The 31-year-old emphasised that keeping clean sheets and scoring goals isn't just the job of defenders and strikers, respectively, but a collective effort from the team. "If we keep a clean sheet and give all the laurels to the centre backs, full backs, the number six or the goalkeeper, it's unfair. If my strikers don't press well, if my number 10 isn't taking their number six, maybe one game you can keep a clean sheet, the other one you won't," Jhingan said.. "In the same way, if my boys up front are not scoring and I just go in the dressing room and start bashing them for that, it would be the most stupid thing I could do. The reason they're not scoring is that we, at the back, are not playing good enough balls to the midfield. The midfield is not putting good balls in the box. So, to point out a single aspect is very unfair and, at least in our team, we don't think that way," explained Jhingan. Although 2024 was a difficult year, the success of 2023 cannot be overlooked. It was less than two years ago that India completed a treble of titles, winning the SAFF Championship, the Intercontinental Cup and the Tri-Nation Series. "That's football. The three tournaments tell us that our squad has the potential. We suffered in the last Asian Cup, and I accept that, and I'll be the first one to put my hand up. Just like you cannot rest on your laurels and sit back, when you don't do well, it doesn't mean you forget all the good work you've done," Jhingan put it simply. "I remember when I joined the national team back in 2013 and debuted in 2015, we were ranked 173. I don't think many people had hopes from us. We've had many moments like this since then, but we made it to two consecutive Asian Cups for the first time ever," he added. Now, the Blue Tigers are hoping to extend that streak and make it three in a row. The next challenge on the road to Saudi Arabia 2027 is Hong Kong, a side led by former Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood. India had beaten Hong Kong 4-0 in Kolkata during the qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, with Jhingan playing the full 90 minutes. Regarding the upcoming meeting on June 10, the centre-back said, "Ashley is there now and he brings his own system. He was with Bengaluru FC and also did well with Afghanistan. But the team has changed a lot, and a new coach coming in makes a lot of difference. We keep preparing for that and want to impose our system and style on the game. Team bond is something which, I can assure you, will never be an issue for us. We are in it together." (ANI)
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