FREE KICK P.K. BANERJEE

Many are saying it’s Mission Impossible for India when they take on Lebanon in Chennai. I beg to differ. Bhaichung’s men have a very difficult job on Sunday, but it’s not beyond them.

The 1-4 defeat in the away match in Beirut was a disappointing result for us. A 1-2 result would have been more acceptable. They shouldn’t have capitulated after taking the lead in the 30th minute.

The heavy defeat has left us with the unenviable task of winning 3-0 to advance in the World Cup qualifying competition.

The Indians have certain advantages even in such a difficult situation. First and foremost is the home factor, we must try to make it count. Equally important is the weather element. It’s been raining in Chennai for the past few days and one learns that the match turf is so slippery that the organisers don’t want to risk the teams practising there.

A soft pitch would definitely help India more than the Lebanese. The visitors from west Asia are not too used to playing on such grounds. Their tall, well-built players won’t relish the heavy underfoot conditions and this is where Bob Houghton’s men would have to steal a march.

The other good thing is we know the target and can plan exactly as per the demand. The obvious question would be, how I would have formulated strategy if I was in charge of this team?

Obviously we have to go into the game with a positive mindset. But that doesn’t mean we should throw caution to the winds. We need not attack in a whirlwind fashion from the very first minute.

Not letting in a goal is very important as that would leave us with a bigger mountain to climb. Lebanon have two potent scorers, one of whom — attacking midfielder Roda Antar — has not come with the squad. But in Mohammed Ghaddar, Lebanon have a striker who can win a game single-handedly on his day. Someone will have to mark him very closely.

In Deepak Mondal’s absence, I feel Mahesh Gawli should play as the sweeper. He is a very capable defender and at the peak of his form as well. Subrata Pal is an efficient young man under the bar, who can wipe off memories of the four-goal humiliation in Beirut and rise to the occasion.

India will lose a key man in midfield if Rennedy Singh is ruled out. Bhaichung will have to play a big role and lead by example. He has to not only play the striker’s role, but also inspire and egg on his younger teammates — just like a wicketkeeper.

One thing’s for certain: individual brilliance is not going to fetch India a 3-0 verdict. Everyone has to perform his role with the basic mantra being run, run and run. But for one striker and the goalkeeper, the others can’t afford to be static at any point of time.

The basic idea should be to slow down the Lebanese and not give them space. The Indians must be within 10 yards of each other, not 12-15 as is the preferred practice.

The ideal scenario would be to score a goal or two and prevent the Lebanese from scoring in the first 45 minutes. Then we can put more pressure and go for the jugular in the second-half.

I have one simple advice for the players: They are playing Lebanon only, not Korea or Japan. As the rankings reflect, there’s not much to choose between India (145) and Lebanon (138). So just go out there believing you can do it and make the country proud.