Nobbs’ quiet approach has the team impressed

Biswajyoti Brahma, TNN

NEW DELHI: India’s top-place finish in the Asian Champions Trophy in China could be attributed, among other factors, to some hot coffee!

Michael Nobbs and his support staff ensured that the Indians got on to the pitch in the event after drinking a cup of coffee to stay alert. But it was not the only thing that they did before the match.

“In fact our physio David John introduced some new measures like reducing the carbohydrate intake while putting us on a protein diet,” goalkeeper Sreejesh told TOI. “And they helped us stay in a good frame of mind during the tournament.”

The goalkeeper from Kerala who plays domestic hockey in Tamil Nadu was all praise for the new coach saying that the coach believed in playing an all-out game. “He would tell us that if the opposition scores five goals, you score six. He always believe in outscoring the rivals,” he said.

Former hockey player Sukhbir Grewal, who went with the team to China, endorsed Sreejesh’s view. “After playing in the European style we are back to our own style, which is attacking hockey. Nobbs’ country Australia plays a lot similar to the way we play. So you can very well see the number of goals we scored in the tournament.”

Sreejesh, who had a great outing in the tournament where he was the hero in the final coming up with two saves in the tie-breaker, attributed some of his success to fellow goalkeeper Bharat Chhetri.

“The tie-breakers are one-on-ones with the goalkeeper. Bharat had asked me not to make the first move. I waited for Pakistan player to make the first move and I reacted well to foil two of their attempts,” he said.

Impressive stadium: Chhetri, on his part, said while he enjoyed being part of the team, he was also impressed with the stadium in Ordos.

“It took us an hour to reach there by flight. It was a city where you see construction work everywhere. They were removing an old building and rebuilding – with new huge structures. The stadium was really nice.”

“Crazy” coach?: The Indian camp was unhappy with the antics of the Pakistani coach Michel Henricus Maria, from the Netherlands.

“For a moment, I thought he was crazy. He was hurling abuses on us. I was surprised since I have never seen such behaviour from a coach in my life,” an official said.

A player added: “The adrenaline goes up whenever India plays Pakistan. But I could not understand how could a Dutchman get so excited so as to abuse us during a match?”

Brasa vs Nobbs: They are like chalk and cheese. If Brasa was known as somebody playing to the gallery, Nobbs is the quiet type. “Brasa was a nice man with a damn-care attitude. But Nobbs is somebody with loads of patience,” said a player.

Discipline first: Stung by indiscipline shown by some players, Grewal made it clear that the players have no choice but to follow the strict disciplinary regime.

“There is a bar which you cannot cross. You have to follow that no matter what. You are playing for the National team and you can’t get away with indisciplined behaviour,” he said.