The next No.9

Sunil Chhetri’s done. He will not be in India’s starting list against Qatar on June 11, Thursday being his last game for India.

Kolkata turned up in numbers, nearly 60,000 of them to wish the longest serving soldier of Indian football the farewell he deserved. There were tifos acknowledging the player who has 94 international goals in 151 games. A large number of fans wore “Chhetri” on their back. His name echoed around the rafters during warm-up and almost continuously through the evening.

Chhetri didn’t do much, rather Kuwait reined him in. Both teams had their share of chances, and an equal number of corner-kicks (10). Kuwait began the first half better, India the second but neither could score. The 0-0 result meant India’s dreams of making the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are virtually over. Playing Afghanistan last means Kuwait are better placed to do that. Once again, it was India’s inability to be clinical in front of goal that proved to be the problem.

Depending on how India line up in Doha, we will get to know who Igor Stimac’s preferred No 9 is. The India coach said one striker in the squad was ready but did not name him. And possibly to just add to intrigue, the Croat wondered aloud why India would need one referring to Barcelona who managed just fine without one not too long ago. The absence of a central attacker also helped Jude Bellingham make runs that got him named the best in La Liga but India have never played that way.

Suspended for the tie against Kuwait Vikram Partap Singh should be available in Doha. Stimac gave him a start after Singh scored a hattrick against NorthEast United in ISL10 but the away tie against Afghanistan proved to be some baptism of fire. That said, he needs to be persisted with because only then will he be able to bring his club form to the national team. One which fetched eight goals and four assists for Mumbai City FC in ISL10.

Replacements available

Chhetri has said a number of players were available to replace him. “They have asked me, “Chhetri bhai, you won’t change your mind, right?” He then reeled off names from Parthib Gogoi to Ishan Pandita. Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali and David Lalhlansanga have also been mentioned as options. Problem is, and this is as old as ISL, most Indian strikers are used as wide midfielders, even wingbacks at clubs. Some coaches have not spared Chhetri from that as well. That is their fight to fight but it is not as if quality No.9s aren’t around, Chhetri has said.

Rahim Ali is seen as a probable successor to Sunil Chhetri (Source: ISL Media)

Ali is a player Stimac has a lot of time for. According to India coaching staff members, Stimac thinks Ali is one goal away from exploding. In other words, it is a confidence thing. Ali, 24, is a big, strong unit and can finish moves without needing to stop the ball, Stimac has said. And he has the energy to keep making runs into the box. “He does not need time to recover after making one,” Stimac has said. Introduced in the second half on Thursday, Ali came close to scoring twice. “He needs games,” said Stimac.

Along with midfielder Edmund Lalrindika, the camps for the World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar have been an experience for Lalhlansanga. It takes some getting used. It can need a helping hand from a senior pro as Sahal Abdul Samad has pointed out. They will also have got fresh information on diet and gym routines and participated in training sessions that were of a higher intensity than they had experienced in I-League. It will make them ISL ready and, hopefully, India-ready soon.

Pandita is not in this squad and could do with more game time even if it means moving to I-League. He got 370 minutes in ISL 10. Manvir Singh scored India’s last goal in 2023 which remained the only goal from open play in the next five games. He is one of the most hardworking players you will see and his physicality is considered an asset by coaches. But years of playing as a wide midfielder, even right wingback, may have blunted his instincts in front of goal, something that strikers live by.

Barring the most advanced and the deepest of positions, the India men’s team has a settled look with players aware of their responsibilities. Chhetri’s retirement has forced the need to search for a new striker. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was superb on the night but if this does not continue, the rest of the year can also be used to find competition for him, if not a new No.1.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

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IN OTHER NEWS

Scaloni to stay: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has said he is fully committed to leading the national team and expects to stay in charge until Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia decides otherwise, reports Reuters. Scaloni, 46, caused a stir when he said he was considering stepping down after Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in November. Local media reported in January that the coach had agreed to remain in charge until at least the end of the Copa America, which runs from June 20 to July 14 in the USA. Scaloni told reporters on Sunday he intends to continue at the helm after the continental showpiece. “I was not having a good year and I felt it was time to stop the ball. Today I’m here with all my energy, which, to be honest, was not the case in November,” he said.

Maresca new boss at Chelsea: Chelsea have appointed Leicester boss Enzo Maresca as their manager on a five-year deal to replace the departed Mauricio Pochettino, reports AFP. The Italian, 44, caught the eye of Chelsea chiefs after leading Leicester to the Championship title last season in his first campaign at the King Power Stadium. “He has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style,” Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea's co-sporting directors, said in a statement on Monday.

Enzo Maresca is new manager of Chelsea for the next 5 years (Source: Football London)

Conte at Napoli: Former Chelsea and Tottenham coach Antonio Conte has been hired by Napoli as the deposed Serie A champions try to bounce back from their disastrous league title defence. “Welcome Antonio,” the club's president and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis wrote on X, accompanied by a photograph of Conte signing his contract. Conte, who has also coached Juventus and Inter Milan, has signed a three-year deal which, according to Italian media, is worth €8 million ($8.7 million) per season. He is the fifth Napoli coach in a chaotic period for the club which in 2022-2023 won their first Serie A title since 1990, when Diego Maradona was still strutting his stuff.

St-Etienne in Ligue 1: Saint-Etienne drew 2-2 at 10-man Metz to win promotion back to the French first division, with substitute Ibrahima Wadji scoring the decisive goal deep into extra-time for a 4-3 aggregate score, says AP. Both legs of the relegation-promotion playoff finished 2-1 to the home side in regular time, triggering extra time at Stade Saint-Symphorien with the aggregate score at 3-3. The 19-year-old Wadji picked a good time to net his first goal of the season when he struck in the 117th minute of the second leg against Metz, who played with 10 men from the seventh minute. Metz striker Papa Amadou Diallo was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on defender Dennis Appiah.

Bissouma attacked: Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma was attacked with pepper spray by two assailants in the early hours of Sunday, the Malian player's lawyer said, confirming media reports, as per Reuters. The 27-year-old player was with his partner outside a luxury hotel in Cannes when the incident occurred at around 4am local time (2am GMT). The hooded attackers stole his watch worth €300,000 ($326,250.00) and fled.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma was attacked with pepper spray (Source: Transfr Markt)

Chennayin signing: Chennaiyin FC have signed Brazilian defender Elson Jose Dias Junior, popularly known as Elsinho, on a two-year deal that will keep him with the club until 2026, reports PTI. Elsinho became the second signing of the 2024-25 season after midfielder Jitendra Singh. “Elsinho is a versatile, strong and technical footballer who can fit in at central midfield and at centre-back. He gives us options at the back while also providing a goal threat in the opposition box, " said Chennaiyin head coach Owen Coyle.

De la Fuente’s new deal: The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has announced that coach Luis de la Fuente has signed a contract extension until 2026 at the helm of its men's national team, reports AP. Spaniard De la Fuente, 62, took over from Luis Enrique in 2022 after La Roja were knocked out of the World Cup. De la Fuente guided his country to last year's Nations League title and helped them qualify for the upcoming European Championships in Germany.

Brandon Fernandes joins Mumbai City: Mumbai City FC have signed a three-year contract with India midfielder Brandon Fernandes, who returns to the ISL side after a brief stint in 2015, reports PTI. The 29-year-old joins the reigning ISL champions from FC Goa where he played for seven years, scoring 17 goals in 130 games across competitions, besides winning the ISL League Shield in 2019-20. Fernandes also helped FC Goa win the Indian Super Cup and the Durand Cup in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Overall, he has made 163 competitive senior appearances, scoring 25 goals. “I am delighted to return to Mumbai City FC. It is one of the top clubs in Indian football, and it represents a new and exciting challenge for me in my career,” said Fernandes.

Pregnancy protocols from FIFA: FIFA is implementing new measures designed to further support the well-being of players and coaches during pregnancy and after the birth of their children, says AP. The FIFA protocols give players and coaches a minimum of 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, and a minimum of eight weeks paid leave for those who adopt a child younger than 2. There is also a minimum eight weeks’ paid leave for women who are non-biological parents of newborns. While the players' maternity leave was previously adopted in 2020, the new rules extend it to coaches, non-biological and adoptive mothers. Additionally, the regulations allow clubs more freedom to add players outside of the transfer window when players take maternity and parental leave or return from it. It also provides for players to take paid time off from matches or training because of menstrual health.

A FIRST FOR MOURINHO IN 20 YEARS

Jose Mourinho is doing what he hasn’t since 2004, join a cub outside Europe’s top five. Mourinho, 61, has been unveiled as Fenerbahce’s manager. Not since leaving Porto in 2004, after winning the Champions League, has Mourinho worked outside England, Spain and Italy. In all three countries, he has won the league. Now, he will try to help Fenerbahce do that. The Turkish giants have not won the league in 10 years.