India head coach Graham Reid knows a thing or two about playing Germany at junior level.
He was a member of the Australian team that lost to Germany in the Junior World Cup in the 1980s.
“They almost own the Junior World Cup,” he said in a virtual press conference following India’s win over Belgium in the quarterfinals at the Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday.
Germany have won six Junior World Cup titles from 11 editions prior to this one and Reid is wary of the challenge they pose.
“They’re a quality team and although we played them well in a warm-up game just before this tournament it will be a very different team we play on Friday. “We’ve got to be focussed and every ball and detail will count in the match. We need to be calm and calmness comes from being prepared.”
India have taken rapid strides since the 4-5 defeat to France in their opener. They came back strongly in running up a 13-1 win over Canada in the next match before getting the better of Poland 8-2 to qualify from pool B.
But second position in the pool brought up a quarterfinal meeting with Belgium. India have shown the ability to score, even in the defeat to France where they reduced the margin from 2-5 to 4-5, scoring twice in the dying minutes.
The defence, hesitant against France, has gradually improved and showed its mettle in an absorbing 60 minutes against Belgium during which they maintained its first clean sheet of the tournament.
They kept Belgium’s relentless attack at bay even during a yellow card suspension to Yashdeep Siwach. India played second fiddle to Belgium with the stats clearly in the latter’s favour but retained their defensive structure and composure.
The only goal was scored with a touch of enterprise – a spin dribble dummy sold by Sanjay, the first-choice drag flicker with eight goals in the tournament, that set up Shard Nanda Tiwari to flick high into the net. Two other players – Araijeet Singh Hundal and Abhishek Lakra – add to the drag flicking stocks which will keep the Germans guessing during the set-piece.
Goalkeepers Prashant Chauhan and Pawan have acquitted themselves creditably with the second named effecting a double save late in the quarterfinal to preserve India’s slender lead.
Upfront, India have launched Uttam Singh, Araijeet Singh and Sudeep. Uttam, in particular, has been a constant threat to defences through which he has twisted and weaved. Vivek Sagar Prasad, the captain, and member of the senior team as well has made for much cohesion in the midfield, not to mention giving it an air of calm and composure.
A blow suffered by the loss of Maninder Singh to injury against Poland has been compensated for by replacement Boby Singh who proved an adequate deputy in the quarterfinal.