New Delhi: Conceding last minute goals has been the bane of Indian hockey in the near past but recently-appointed coach Sjoerd Marijne said Monday here that the team improvised their defensive tactics quite well in their triumph over Malaysia in the Asia Cup final played Sunday. Incidentally, everyone expected it to be an easy affair for India, but in the end the Men in Blue could only manage a hard-fought 2-1 victory, Sunday.
“I was a bit worried when the score was 2-1 and strange goals can happen in the last four or five minutes. I am really happy how they (the India players) played, they changed the way we defend in the end and that helped us clinch the win,” Marijne said after guiding the team to title triumph in his maiden assignment.
Marijne, however, clarified that the Indian team will have to improve on their consistency, if they are to achieve success on a regular basis.
“We still lack consistency which was evident in the final against Malaysia. We should have scored more goals in the final but our levels dropped too low in the final quarter and it allowed Malaysia to make a comeback. We really played very good attacking hockey and scored some beautiful field goals, but we were not consistent enough throughout the game,” Marijne pointed out.
Indians impressed all and sundry with their attacking brand of hockey and Marijne said that the side can become very lethal against any team if they maintain the same style.
“I am a big fan of ‘give and go’ hockey because as you saw in the Asia Cup, this form of attack, we were able to create plenty of scoring opportunities. This style of hockey is really difficult to defend especially with the amount of speed one can generate,” the Dutchman explained.
Asked whether the current Indian team have the potential to match sides like, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia, Marijne remained diplomatic. “I wish I can give that answer. To have that knowledge, I will have to see how the team fare in the Hockey World League Final at Bhubaneswar,” Marijne stated.
Press Trust of India
