The Indian U-17 women’s football team recently participated in the sixth Torneo Tournament in Italy and it was a struggle for them as they lost all of the three games that they played and looked bereft of ideas on the pitch.
India started their campaign with a 0-7 loss to hosts, Italy followed by a 1-3 loss to Chile and a 0-2 loss to Mexico. With just three months to go for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, head coach, Thomas Dennerby will know that he has to sort out a number of issues when it comes to performances.
Here, we take a look at some of the talking points from their showing in the recently concluded
sixth Torneo Tournament.
That India conceded a staggering 12 goals in their three games would be a source of major worry for the team management as the side displayed a lack of cohesion and coordination in defense.
While players like Naketa and skipper Astam Oraon are no doubt highly talented, they struggled in the tournament and will need to pull up their socks.
However, the return of Shilky Devi will provide much needed steel at the back.
The Indian U-17 women’s side only managed to score one goal in their three games which again is something that is of concern, considering that they had a number of capable forwards in their lineup, including Lynda Serto Kom, Kajol, and Nitu Linda.
The major issue was the lack of cohesion between the midfield and the forward line, which impacted them when it came to finding the back of the net.
Another major issue that Thomas Dennerby’s side faces is lack of time as the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is just three months away and they will be under considerable pressure since it India are the hosts.
Although the organisation organised preparatory camps, a lack of competitive games resulted in a lack of mentality in the team and Dennerby will need to find a way to ensure that his side are well prepared when the tournament starts.
