Had this occurred in late 2023, India's unfortunate outcome against Bangladesh might have been dismissed as merely a poor performance, a match characterized by a collective decline in form. During 2023, India enjoyed a streak of three tournament victories on home soil, faced Iraq with determination, encountered questionable officiating against Malaysia, and concluded the year with a rare away victory in a World Cup qualifier.

Such a consistent improvement in performance could have mitigated the impact of a disappointing result like the one in Shillong on Tuesday. However, since 2023, the situation has deteriorated significantly. Following an away victory against Kuwait, it took India 16 months to secure another win, only to falter against Bangladesh. The addition of Hamza Choudhury has reportedly enhanced the team's overall performance, as noted by Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera. Nevertheless, India's struggle against a team ranked 59 places lower in the FIFA rankings highlights a concerning regression.

Coach’s plainspeak

Manolo Marquez expressed similar sentiments. "Since I took over, I have sensed improvement in the team during every training session. However, today, I felt we regressed by two or three steps," he remarked.

This feeling resonated with me when, after requesting the cabin crew to prepare for landing and circling over Shillong for over an hour, our flight on Sunday was redirected to Guwahati. Choudhury’s parents were among those who unexpectedly embarked on a winding evening drive uphill, with much of the journey's scenic beauty obscured by darkness. Upon arriving at Guwahati airport, they appeared frazzled, but just 24 hours later, Rafia Choudhury and Murshed Dewan were a pleasure to converse with.

Returning to Marquez, I apologize for the earlier diversion. Since assuming leadership of Hyderabad FC in 2020, he has consistently communicated in straightforward terms. Following a match in his inaugural season, the Spaniard remarked in a brief interview that he would have dismissed the coach had he been the owner.

Therefore, it was not unexpected when Marquez made his comments to the official broadcasters and in the media room at Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which was filled. He did not shy away from acknowledging his responsibility for what he described as a “very, very poor performance,” emphasizing that it starts with the head coach.

The situation was further complicated by the absence of key players who could support the striker, as many were either injured or recovering from injuries. It is not Marquez’s fault that Brandon Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Anirudh Thapa were unavailable. The challenges intensified with the additional absences of Anwar Ali, Manvir Singh, and Ashish Rai. The situation became even more difficult when players selected based on their ISL performance, like Sunil Chetri and Vishal Kaith, appeared to be mere shadows of their former selves from just two weeks prior.

Needed: longer camps

This leads us to the familiar topic of extended preparatory camps. Marquez was pragmatic when I inquired during the pre-match press conference about the adequacy of their preparations, especially considering Bangladesh's decision to pause their league for over a month to prepare their national team. Although he acknowledged that such an approach was not feasible with the Indian Super League (ISL), Marquez clearly expressed his desire to be in Cabrera’s position.

In 2023, India's achievements were largely dependent on Igor Stimac having the players assembled for nearly a month leading up to the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship. The team's well-coordinated performance against Iraq was a result of the players, many of whom participated on Tuesday, being in peak physical, mental, and tactical condition. Anirudh Thapa’s interview with HT highlights the importance of longer training camps.

Due to time constraints, the camp before the matches against Afghanistan was brief, and the outcome was well-known. A more accurate assessment of Marquez's capabilities can be made when India faces Hong Kong. With the season concluded, he has indicated plans for a more extended preparatory camp ahead of that away match in June. Marquez also noted that having all teams on equal footing presents an opportunity to “start afresh.”

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