Pasha could start in place of Chapman

KOCHI: The Indian team will have to produce something really out of the ordinary against Uruguay on Monday if they are to advance to the quarterfinal''s of the Sahara Cup. Though, realistically speaking, the hosts don''t have a chance, technically they can still qualify if they win by a four goal margin against the mighty Uruguayans. Coach Islam Akhmedov, knowing the enormity of the task at hand was taking the match as a learning experience for Indian team.``We will go for the win, otherwise why play. We have to be positive,'''' was the coach''s first reaction, before settling down to the reality of the situation. ``The team is in a learning process, never mind the result. I would be happy if they can produce the game they played against Iceland. Because even though the scoreline was very bad, the important point was India played modern football. And had it not been for some silly defensive lapses, the story would have been different,'''' said the coach speaking to The Times of India on the eve of the match. ``The system we are playing is new for India. But if we have to go up we have to persist with it. By concentrating only on defending, like Bangladesh did against Bosnia, we won''t be going anywhere,'''' said the coach. Akhmedov termed Uruguay as an even tougher opponent than Iceland. ``They are more skillful and more organised in defence as well as attack than Iceland. They play a very closed game and it would be tough to break their defence as they play with almost five defenders, which is a bit surprising for a modern football nation.'''' About the likely gameplan against Uruguay, the coach said: ``They have seen us play and will be closing the wings from where we were advancing in the last match, so we will have to re-think our strategy. ``Keeping the ball in possession is important. If we try to play at their speed we won''t last 20 minutes. We have to have wait for the opportunities and avail of them. Defence has to be very tight,'''' added Akhmedov. The coach revealed that the wing half''s will play a key role and will have to double up as the wing-back marking their winger while overlapping into a winger when India attack. Inspite of the defeat, Akhmedov said that the morale of his players was high because ``they can sense that they played good modern football against a seasoned European opponent.'''' Though the coach had yet to decide on his playing eleven, there are a couple of changes expected. If Deepak Mondal, who is nursing an injury, reports unfit then either Ratan Singh or M. Suresh will take his place while Sabir Pasha is likely to start in place of Carlton Chapman. As for fielding Bijen Singh and Alvito D''Cunha in the starting eleven, who impressed in the closing stages of the opener, the coach said they would not be as effective if they started the match. Asked if he planned any changes in the defence line after their blunders against Iceland, Akhmedov replied in the negative, saying he had to persist with the current combination as he did not have much options and any change would be a risk. Given the opponents superior allround fire-power the battle on Monday looks to be in vain, but the positive approach is refreshing.