Tribune India: Find the right zone

Indervir Grewal

Since Rio Olympics, teams are shifting from man-to-man to zonal marking system

Argentina and Belgium surprised the world last year when they played in the final of the Rio Olympics. The two upcomers in world hockey outclassed the old masters to set up a final between first-timers. Both Argentina and Belgium played the zonal defensive system. “In Rio, we and Argentina were the two teams playing the zonal system,” said Belgium player Loick Luypaert.

A year later, most teams have shifted from man-to-man to zonal defence. “We were may be the first team to make the shift a few years back,” added Luypaert. “Now, other teams have also started playing this system.”
In the zonal system, each player mans a zone, rather than marking an opponent. However, the change isn’t black or white. Earlier, the teams preferred a mix of zonal and man-to-man marking, the latter prevalent in central midfield and the back. Now, even the back three of most teams man their zones. But they do shift to man-to-man according to different situations.

Faster game

“Hockey is evolving. In today’s fast game, you must be really, really fit for the man-to-man system,” said Luypaert, giving a reason for more teams preferring zonal marking. One of the benefits, he said, was that “it seems there is space when there isn’t”.
The system isn’t just better for defending, it also assists in starting swifter attacks, said senior Netherlands defender Sander Baart. “We want the players to be in their positions,” said Baart. “In man-to-man, sometimes a left forward can end up on the other side of the field… So, when we steal the ball, we want players in the right positions.”

While the Netherlands made the switch right after the Olympics, for teams such as India and Germany, the Hockey World League Final has been the perfect platform to try out the system at the top level. India first tested the system on the Europe tour a couple of months back, under former coach Roelant Oltmans. In their opener in Bhubaneswar, India made it tough for Australia to find a way through the middle as the hosts, for most part, were fabulous as a unit.
In Bhubaneswar, it has been mesmerising to watch the teams move in unison as the ball shifts from flank to flank. When the players have got it right, it has looked like a choreographed performance, with perfect V or diamond formations all over the blue field.

More communication

“In zonal system, every player is as important and as involved,” said German captain and senior defender Martin Haner, when asked how he bears the burden of marshalling a very young defence. “It starts from the forwards back to the midfielders and to the defenders, every player must be in his position.”

Therefore, it requires constant communication between the players, said Haner. Also, players must have great understanding. The Netherlands, who have brought five new players, struggled a bit in their first game. “We have not played together much after a long European summer. We had a one-week camp before this tournament,” said Baart.
Luypaert said that the system was not easy for the players who didn’t have a great tactical understanding of the game. “You must be more aware of the game, otherwise you will struggle,” said the Belgian.
Tactical awareness
Indian forward Akashdeep Singh agreed with Luypaert’s assessment, adding that “if players are tactically clever, the zonal system becomes very easy to play in”.

In the India-Australia game, the hosts showed a tendency to deviate from their plan when the world champions altered the pace. There were times when senior forwards Akashdeep and SV Sunil were seen pointing to youngsters Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh and Lalit Upadhyay to get into position.
Indian players take a longer time to mature because they get to play in a modern, structured system only after getting into the national camps. Whereas, players of top teams such as Australia or Germany grow up playing a single system. But as they showed against Australia, they can make it happen.

Changing styles: man-t0-man to zonal defence

In the Man-to-Man defence system, each player in defence marks an opposing team player

In the Rio Olympics last year, Argentina and Belgium were the two teams playing this system

Teams in the past preferred a mix of the two systems

In the Zonal defence system, each each player mans a zone, rather than marking an opponent

A year after Rio, most teams have shifted from man-to-man to zonal defence system, including India

Now, even the back three of most teams man their zones