"Don't be afraid, just play."
Head coach Thomas Dennerby certainly has a clear message for India ahead of their encounter against Morocco in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The Kalinga stadium is where the teams will battle it out, although both don't exactly have the best of memories from their first time there.
Where the teams are
India's 8-0 rout at the hands of the USA certainly put a big dent in their aspirations for knockout qualification. The manner of the defeat, where India were outshot 30-2, outpassed 641-176, with only 21% possession of the ball might affect their confidence, but this is a group of players that can bounce back.
Similarly, Morocco only had four shots to Brazil's 18, and were outpassed 422-219, with 33% possession. Yet, the scoreline in defeat read only 0-1, thanks in large part to goalkeeper Wissal Titah, who was in tears after the game despite a superb performance between the sticks, denying highly-rated Brazilian forward Jhonson multiple times.
Both teams are desperate for points in a must-win contest.
How the game can play out
Despite a heavy defeat, Dennerby remains confident going into the game, for a simple reason. In his own words, "When I watched the game between Brazil and Morocco, my personal feeling was that the game was played at a little bit lower pace."
The game did appear slower-paced than USA's breakneck speed. Whether it was a function of teams acclimatising to the conditions, one cannot be sure. What we can be sure about is despite their status as debutants, Morocco cannot be taken lightly. This is a team that defeated Ghana over two legs to qualify for this competition.
Fatima El Ghazouani put in an accomplished display at the back against Brazil. Despite her fellow centre-back, Nadia Bennasou being frequently caught out, Ghazouani bailed out her defensive partner multiple times. Yet, Brazil were able to pinpoint weaknesses in the Moroccan backline - frequently exploiting gaps between centre-backs and full-backs.
Lynda Kom Serto can thrive in one of two ways, either running the channels herself with Nitu Linda ready to put her through, or she can thread the ball through to either of her wingers. Djennah Cherif and Wissal El Assaoui, the Moroccan full-backs who were often forced into last-ditch tackles against Brazil, will have to deal with Neha and Anita Kumari's pace on India's wings.
Dennerby did give a window into his ideas while speaking to AIFF media, saying, "My feeling is that our team has players with a little bit more speed than they do, but football is not only running or the number of sprints. Football is also very technical and you have to take the right decisions at the right moment."
India suffered against USA's high press - a situation unlikely to repeat as Morocco sat in a low block against Brazil. Yasmine Zouhir, the Moroccan captain, excelled in the #9 role with Kenza Laksiri also causing the Brazilian right-back, Myka, plenty of problems. Purnima Kumari (CB) and Shubhangi Singh (RB) didn't have the best of times against the USA, and if Dennerby persists with them, they are set for another tough game.
Hemam Shilky Devi and Astam Oraon will have to call on all their experience and not allow the rest of their teammates to be overawed once more. Indeed that's what Dennerby is seeking the most, saying, "Just play for having fun, feel free to play with a changed attitude in attack. Be there. Don't look at the others and think 'they are so good'. Now we have to show much, much more attitude."
What's at stake
Survival, effectively. Lose and the competition pretty much ends for either side. A draw won't do much good either, although mathematical progression still remains. With much tougher tasks facing both teams in their final games, this is the ideal fixture for a win that can spark an outside shot at progression.
India will be rooting for the USA to defeat Brazil in the other encounter, as that would keep the South Americans at three points. Should India beat Morocco, it would open the door for a straight fight between India and Brazil in the final group game on Monday, October 17.