CT 2014: Netherlands Captain Robert Horst speak on arrival at Bhubneswar

Bhubaneswar, 30 November 2014: The Netherlands team had a practice session todayat the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. Eager to engage Argentina in their their first the opening day of the Hero Men’s Champions Tropy, the Dutch men did their groundwork meticulously on Pitch 1 of the stadium.

Looking upbeat on their training sessions, Captain Robert Horst said, “We try to win in every tournament that we play. In the Men’s Champions Trophy 2014 there are top class teams of the world playing and we are looking forward to competing with them. Initially our focus is on the pool matches, where we play Argentina, India and Germany, as all of them are strong contenders. We are looking forward to our game against India. Matches against Argentina and Germany are also going to be tough games.

Commenting on their second consecutive day of practice post arrival at Bhubaneswar, Head Coach Max Caldas said, “We will get a tough fight from every team but we are concentrating on one game at a time. We are in a difficult group but at the same time as a team we are confident of doing well.”

On strategy, he said, “Dutch Hockey is always about attacking and scoring lot of goals – something we as a team are good at. This time we are focussing on our defence strategy because I believe we need to be very tight in that department.”

About the team: Standing tall with their set high-standards, the 2012 Olympic Silver medalists, The Netherlands had a disappointing 2013. However, 2014 has seen a massive resurrection in their form, on-field. The year started with a stunning performance at the Hero Hockey World League Final, where they took the title by thrashing New Zealand 7-2 in the Gold medal match. Although their form was impressive throughout, in the end they had to settle for the Silver medal as Australia took The Netherlands down by 6-1 in the Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014.