I am sure that back home, the hockey fans are eagerly awaiting our match with Pakistan on Saturday, here in Madrid. Much as I would like to downplay, I cannot ignore the fact that any game between the two countries generates considerable emotion and passion on both sides of the border. So, I have learnt to live with it.
To start with, we will be going into the game with a psychological advantage of having beaten Pakistan five times in eight meetings, including the huge 7-4 success in the Champions Trophy at Amstelveen.
Obviously, our players are as aware of this as I am and we are keen to capitalise on this on Saturday, though let me warn you that it is easier said than done.
As much as we would like to take early initiative by scoring a goal or two, our major focus would be on the deep defense. We need to be extremely careful in our tackling and overall play inside our 25-yard area so that we do not concede any penalty corners.
It is no secret that the Pakistanis depend heavily on Sohail Abbas to convert penalty corners and I will acknowledge the fact that Sohail is presently the best in the business. As such, our tackling has to be especially good and of course, much better than what it was against Malaysia to whom we gave 12 penalty corners.
So, if we keep it clean at the back, and then go on the attack, I am quite sure that we will be able match the Pakistanis in every department of the game.
After scoring five goals against Malaysia, our forwards, in particular, have grown in confidence. I am hopeful that Prabhjot Singh, who has had a rather quiet tournament so far, will be able to play to his potential and that would add teeth to our attack.
Our midfielders have played consistently so far and I would like them to provide much more support to our forwards so that we can keep Pakistan under pressure.
Though some critics reckon that Pakistan have changed their style of play, I have not noticed much of difference. They looked much the same even after Roelant Oltmans has taken charge as the coach. After all, you cannot change anything in a couple of months, and keeping this mind, I will say that we have a good chance against Pakistan.
But it does not mean you can take victory for granted. I would say that it will be 50-50 to begin with, and if we can seize the initiative early and sustain the momentum, then we can surely come out on top.
If you look at all the matches between the two teams, you will realise that as well as each team plays, it boils down to keeping one’s nerves given the intensity with which we play each other. It will be an acid test of the players’ mental toughness.
We are also aware that comparatively, the deep defense is one of Pakistan’s weaknesses. Hence, all the more reason why we must persist with our attacking style of play. At the end of the day, we have to cash in on the chances that come our way.
Though we dominated Pakistan last year, I will not let the players forget the fact that in modern hockey, each match is different and this time around, the stakes are extremely high since this is a qualifying tournament for the Olympics.
Under the circumstances, the intensity of contest will be far greater than in any of the matches we played last year. In this context, the pressure will be so much more on the players.
I feel that the team that keeps its focus and nerves will emerge the winner. As to who it will be, your guess is as good as mine.
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