Bangalore: Newly-appointed coach of the men’s hockey team Sjoerd Marijne said Monday that the upcoming Asia Cup will be a fresh start for him as well as for the senior squad.
Marijne asserted that next month’s Asia Cup in Dhaka will give him a fair bit of idea about what needs to be done in the next 15 months, which will witness some high-profile tournaments like the Hockey World League Finals, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Cup.
“The Asia Cup 2017 is a fresh start not just for me but also for the team who are mentally prepared to return home with the title,” Marijne pointed out.
“having said that there is a difference between training sessions and playing tournament matches. While I am convinced with the efforts the team puts in training, the Asia Cup is where I will get to see how the team react in match situations and where we are lacking and need immediate improvement,” he added.
At the national camp that is underway at the SAI Centre here senior players like Sardar Singh, SV Sunil and skipper Manpreet Singh stay back after every training session to give their feedback to Marijne, who has never coached a senior men’s international team prior to his current assignment.
Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who is back in the camp, too is often seen having long animated conversations with the coach about areas that require improvement ahead of the major event.
This exercise is a part of the team’s new mantra – ‘player-driven and coach-assisted process’ where seniors are expected to give their critical analysis on specific areas of the game.
For the 43-year-old Dutchman, this process is of huge significance. “I believe this process initiated by the Hockey India (HI) and the high performance director David John will help bring a better understanding on how the team want to play,” stated Marijne
“My first few days with the team have been about understanding each one of them. Of course, I already know all of them by name and I was aware of the immense talent and energy they bring in as players.
“I am now focusing on understanding how the team want to play so I can set goals for the training sessions on where they want to improve,” the coach added.
Marijne asserted that under him, the emphasis will be on the development of junior players. “It takes time for the junior players to get to the level of the seniors and that requires good match exposure to reach that level. But what I like is the internal competition,” pointed out Marjine.
The junior players are pushing the seniors for a spot in the team and I believe it will work for the best,” added the 43-year-old Dutchman.
India’s games
October 11 – Japan
October 13 – Bangladesh
October 15 – Pakistan
press trust of India
