New Delhi, 12 Jan 2014: On the rest day on Monday, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany did not rest. They had full practice sessions while Australia and New Zealand preferred to fine tune the specialist skills of their drag flickers with Kookaburras bringing in their goalies too. Even other teams used specific exercises to hone the special skills of drag flickers and goalkeepers.
Indians, who lost both their games thus far, cancelled their scheduled practice session at 7pm and preferred to have a indoor briefing to sort out the `mental issues’.
The Kookaburras will take on Pool B leaders Argentina on Monday. The South Americans have won their opening two matches, beating the Netherlands 5-2 and coming from behind to beat Belgium 3-2.
Argentina has always produced international teams with plenty of talent but over the past year the current men’s team has developed into a side that can challenge the best in the world. Coach Carlos Retegui who coached the Argentina women to World Cup glory in 2010 is the person behind the vast changes that brought about a key change in the team’s fortunes and the team nicknamed “Los Leones” (The Lions) is the one to watch out for as a dark horse, which can upset the applecart of any team.
Australian captain Mark Knowles said, “We played Argentina in the International Super Series in Perth a couple of months ago and they were very good, very skillful on the ball; their body movement and their goal-scoring ability are on display during the matches against the Dutch and Belgium. It’s a big challenge but we don’t come to the top eight tournament in the world and expect any easy games.”
“Argentina are on a roll. They are undefeated. They’ve been playing well and things are working for them so you’ve got to think that’s going to be a very tough match,” felt chief coach Ric Charlesworth.
Argentina are known for their giant-killing acts and though they are rated with a low rank, they have the capacity to strike superb form with their attacking stye and can upset any team on their day.
Meanwhile, the Belgium Team are leaving on stone unturned as far as their preparations are concerned despite the two losses thus far. They feel that the tournament is far from over and one win in the knock out stage could change the whole scenario.
Skipper John Dohmen said: ”We are still in the tournament and are working to fight it out. The upcoming match against Netherlands will be an interesting one. Though they are a strong team, we are trying our best to put forward a good show and give them a tough competition. Our strategy in the match against Netherlands will be to focus more on passing.’’
Coach Marc Lammers earlier said, “The first two matches against Australia and Argentina did not go well. Especially, Argentina played a strong game and showcased excellent skills. In the upcoming match against Netherlands, we want to play a good game and build up the team’s self confidence for the quarterfinals.’’
ends