Hindustan Times: Indian hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne minces no words: Improve or stay No. 6 team

Indian men’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne says that the side needs to improve intercepting balls because launching counter attacks is one of the strong points for India. The team is gearing up for Hockey World League Finals next month

India’s chief hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne on Tuesday warned that the team will always remain at number six in the world rankings if the players don’t improve their ball-intercepting skills.

After winning the Asia Cup, the Indian team is gearing up for the Hockey World League Finals, to be held in Bhubaneshwar from December 1-10.

“I think we can improve in every area. The Players need to improve intercepting balls because launching counter attacks is one of the strong points of India. We are too good at that and we can be a danger for any country. If we can’t do that (improving ball interception), we will always be number six,” Marijne said.

The World rankings are led by Argentina and they are followed by Australia, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

The coach, who replaced sacked Roelant Oltmans, further emphasised that the Indian team needs to work on consistency.

“Sometimes we are really good but the level drops too low, and if we do not work on it, rival countries would get goals against us. We need to work on consistency,” he said.

Talking about the Hockey World League Finals, Marijne expected some surprise results.

“If you consider the rankings, Argentina are number one team in the world and Australia are number two. But, there are few others, like Spain, who did good things this summer.

Competition in men’s hockey is getting tougher and tougher. We may get to see some surprise results, which is good for global hockey,” he said.

Marijne though said it’s difficult to predict how India will fare in the tournament.

“I don’t want to put ourselves in pressure situation, but there could be some underdogs among lower-ranked teams. I cannot promise India winning Hockey World League, but I would like them to go for it.”

While talking about India’s Asia Cup title-triumph, Marijne appreciated leadership qualities displayed by some players.

“In some crucial matches, players made quick on-field decisions to turn matches in our favour. I am very happy with this leadership qualities of our players, who turned the heat on the rivals at right moments,” Marijne said.

Normally, it is Sreejesh, SV Sunil, Harmanpreet Singh and Sardar Singh, who lead from the front and make on-field decisions, he said.