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What if India and Pakistan were good football teams?

Varun

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...how would they look like? What would be their style of play?

Would they be attacking/defensive/creative?

What clues can we draw from the way these two countries perform in cricket and other sports?
 
Pakistan would probably resemble one of the African nations in football. They would have talented players and try to play with flair but the lack of investment and infrastructure means that the team would only get so far. We would have crazy moments like in the AFCON where the Senegal team walked out, managers would fight with players like when Nigeria accused Congo of using Black Magic.

We would get a good foreign coach, who tried to press and play tiki-taka style possession based "modern" football, but the fans would quickly call it defensive and hark for the days of aggressive football, the PFB would sack the coach, and bring in a local coach who reverts to punting the ball forward and hoping for the best like the old days.
 
India would try to implement football diplomacy, but find out that it didn't work, as most countries were unbothered by losing out on Indian market in football.

The Indian football board would try relentlessly to change the world cup schedule to accommodate Star Sports, leaving other football federation scratching their heads.

Indian advertiser's start to privately lobby the Indian government to move away from football. When cricket was popular they could slip in an ad-break every over, but the 45 minute gap between ads isn't convenient to them.

The team itself is good but fans are fickle. When Team India wins they ruthlessly troll other countries, threatening the family of Messi and Mbappe, however when their team loses there is eerie quiet that is punctured by elaborate essays about how international cricket is dead anyway but Pune Puma United Vs Real Mumbai is the real deal.
 
Indians have small legs and foot.
It’s not conducive for Football. Sorry for being blunt.

Pakistan have the potential to be a Football powerhouse. They will be the Brazil of Asian Football.
 
Indians have small legs and foot.
It’s not conducive for Football. Sorry for being blunt.

Pakistan have the potential to be a Football powerhouse. They will be the Brazil of Asian Football.

No chance. In General South Asians dont have it in them when it to comes to Elite football!
 
I personally want football to become more mainstream in South Asia. It is also my most favorite sport (always has been).

Cricket has been ruined by greedy BCCICC and bhakts. :inti
 
I personally want football to become more mainstream in South Asia. It is also my most favorite sport (always has been).

Cricket has been ruined by greedy BCCICC and bhakts. :inti

If im not wrong Bangladeshi people are more into their football than cricket.
 
If im not wrong Bangladeshi people are more into their football than cricket.

In Bangladesh, cricket is mostly watched by boomers and millennials (my generation). Gen Z are more into football.

My gen Z brother doesn't understand or watch cricket; he is crazy for football.
 
...how would they look like? What would be their style of play?

Would they be attacking/defensive/creative?

What clues can we draw from the way these two countries perform in cricket and other sports?

In that case, Indian team always beaten Pakistan team like in cricket and winning ratio would have been in Indias favor by 15-0
 
If im not wrong Bangladeshi people are more into their football than cricket.


Same will happen with Pakistani people, and probably Indians as well to be honest. Indians love their cricket, but when there's no one left to play with, interest will move to other sports.
 
Same will happen with Pakistani people, and probably Indians as well to be honest. Indians love their cricket, but when there's no one left to play with, interest will move to other sports.

Hasn't happened in America. They have nobody left to play with in their own sports but they haven't moved.
 
South Asians don't have the stamina needed for football or tennis, from what I've noticed. It has to be a stop-start game like cricket.

The only prominent indian footballers I've heard of are IM Vijayan and Bhaichung Bhutia - the latter played in some second division football club in the UK. I think it was Bury.
 
South Asians don't have the stamina needed for football or tennis, from what I've noticed. It has to be a stop-start game like cricket.

We're not that bad in tennis. Have produced some medium profile players and even an Olympic medalist.
 
We're not that bad in tennis. Have produced some medium profile players and even an Olympic medalist.

Yes .. Leander Paes. He used to start his matches with great intensity but would get tired very quickly. I mean the singles matches. I remember his game vs Agassi.
 
We're not that bad in tennis. Have produced some medium profile players and even an Olympic medalist.
Indian tennis players are equivalent of good line and length trundlers. They had a touch game which still carries a long way in doubles which explains our kinda success in that format. However they don’t have the power game to match the modern freaks tennis produces. Surprisingly. Sania Mirza had the power game to match, Williams sisters and Sharapova etc but had 0 stamina/ endurance. The beef helped her with that but looks like she was eating more of the oily beef karahi from Sialkot or something lol. Could have used Shoaib Malik’s fitness regime, whatever his ability as a player the guy had/ has gun fitness even now.
 
Indian tennis players are equivalent of good line and length trundlers. They had a touch game which still carries a long way in doubles which explains our kinda success in that format. However they don’t have the power game to match the modern freaks tennis produces. Surprisingly. Sania Mirza had the power game to match, Williams sisters and Sharapova etc but had 0 stamina/ endurance. The beef helped her with that but looks like she was eating more of the oily beef karahi from Sialkot or something lol. Could have used Shoaib Malik’s fitness regime, whatever his ability as a player the guy had/ has gun fitness even now.

Creating a good tennis professional has now become an artform .. that only a handful of tennis schools around the world, mostly European, have mastered. You gotta start very early .. with the right nutrition and fitness routines. Not possible for Indians unless Ambani starts awarding scholarships to some really talented youngsters.
 
South Indians seem far more interested and therefore capable in football than Pakistanis and North Indians combined.
 
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