‘Defence, attacking can make difference in Asian Games’

India women’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne believes that an improved defence and the continuing work on sharpening goal-scoring skills can do wonders for his side in the upcoming Asian Games.

The women’s side had bagged a bronze in the 2022 Asian Games, and it’s eager to clinch a medal of a brighter hue in this edition in Japan. “I think one of the most important things we have shown is to be a unit and we defended really well. I think that is one of the basics of game,” Marijne said.

“Defending well is always possible. And the next step is to create more opportunities. But, yes, that is something that we are working on,” he added.

Marijne then dwelled upon some details of the route map that he had set for the team.

“Yes, this (improving defence) is something that has to happen daily. Working on defence but also on attack. Defence is something you do as a unit. Everybody needs to be involved.

“And you need to have a lot of discipline in this. And that is something that we have worked really hard on. What are the key points we have to do really well? For instance, the left hand on the ground and those small things can make a big difference,” he said. India finished fifth in the recent Hockey World Cup held across Belgium and the Netherlands. But it has not left team dispirited and, for Marijne World Cup offered an important learning point.

“I can tell them many times we are really good and we can do it. But you have to experience it yourself (playing well) and that is what happened now. They played against the best teams in the world.

“They have seen, okay, this is necessary on the highest level to do well. But they also can see that they can compete with all.”

But has the team picked up its intensity after a draining World Cup?

“Yes, after the World Cup, the first week is about recovery. It has been a very heavy period for the girls. We will leave for Japan on Monday and we have a camp there outside the location.

“So, we will work there more on the intensity and the last week will be the high intensity training to be ready for the Asian Games,” he noted. Skipper Salima Tete agreed with Marijne that the team’s attitude has changed.

“Everyone has a mindset that we have to win every match. So, it is a benefit for us. After Marijne has come, our team culture has changed a lot. How we have to show our body language to the other team…we have learned all these little things,” Tete said.

But does she feel extra heat being the leader of the side? “Definitely, there is pressure and it happens to every player, not just to the captain. It happens to every senior player. It happens to every junior player. But I take it with positivity. I will support my team as much as I can.” Senior player and goalkeeper Savita Punia echoed similar views as Marijne that the team’s defence has improved a lot of late. “We are doing well in attacking. We are working on penalty corner taking and defence. As a team, we did very well in defence through the World Cup. So, we are continuing that now,” she said. She cited the World Cup match against Germany, which India won 3-1, to underline her argument.

“When our match with Australia was drawn our team was disappointed. I think this is a good sign that today our team is upset even after playing a draw with Australia. It worked as a motivation in the last match we played with Germany.

“We played a very good attacking game. If we are winning a match against a tightly defending team like Germany then it is a good boost for the whole team for the Asian Games,” she said.

So, as a senior player with over 300 caps, what is her tip to young team members to tackle the pressure during a prestigious event like the Asian Games?

“We always have to keep a match by match focus. For gold, the journey is still very far. We have league matches and after that, the semis and then the final. Definitely, it’s our dream. So, it’s very important to stay focused,” Punia added.