Indian football team defender Subhasish Bose aims to carry forward his stellar club form in national colors and deliver a promising performance against Hong Kong in the crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification fixture.

Bose enjoyed a remarkable 2024-25 season with Mohun Bagan Super Giant, where he captained the Mariners to complete an Indian Super League (ISL) for the first time in club history. The defender's leadership quality and potential to contribute at both ends of the pitch made him an integral part of MBSG's setup.

Known for his commanding defending, rejuvenated himself in the position of a full-back, unlocking his offensive supremacy. Bose scored six goals this season, the highest by any defender and the third highest by any MBSG player in the 2024-25 season.

Bose has set his sights on securing a positive result in the forthcoming matches with the Blue Tigers in their quest to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027.

“My club season has been good, and I have a strong belief that I am playing well. I hope I can retain my good form and play better for my country," he said during an interaction with the media in Kolkata.

"This will be my target. I am not willing to ponder our past performances. Now, we have two international matches (against Thailand and Hong Kong), and I want to give my best in these two matches so that I can get the best result for my country," he added.

Bose acknowledged that every game comes with different intensity and brings in new challenges. He underlined the importance of collective team spirit and he urged his teammates to play as a unit, adapting to Manolo Marquez's style of play.

“If everyone plays with the same mentality and attitude, everyone can adapt and play the way our coach wants,” he opined.

“I don’t think every match is equal, and every player has ups and downs. But at the end, if we can work together and play as a team, then we can get a clean sheet and also a goal,” he continued.

Bose revealed that the coaching staff are in constant touch with the players, analyzing their recent performances and helping them minimize and rectify their mistakes.

Speaking in context, he shared, “The coach is discussing with us the mistakes we have made and is showing us what we should play and what we should not play. We are practicing accordingly.”

India played out a goalless draw against Bangladesh in the opening Group C qualifier. Despite not having the best start to this round, Bose and his teammates are determined to find themselves back on the winning side and gain momentum when they face Thailand in an international friendly in June.

The Blue Tigers have netted just five goals in six games under Marquez so far with three of those goals coming in a friendly win against Maldives at home in March. Bose showered faith on his teammates and believed scoring goals won't be a problem given their versatile forward line.

“I believe that we have a lot of talented strikers and midfielders who can provide us with goals. Sunil (Chhetri) bhai has rejoined us, and I hope we can score goals in the next two matches,” he concluded.

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2024-2025 Subhasish Bose