Hockey: Graham Reid wants India to play teams with different styles ahead of the Tokyo Olympics

In his eight years with the Australian hockey team, Graham Reid never managed a such an emphatic triumph against Germany. But almost a year long hiatus after hitting the pitch, the Indian team pulled off a eye-catching show against the mighty Germans. The Indian men’s hockey team defeated Germany 6-1 in the opening game of their European Tour in February.

"It was pent up emotions and things that we wanted to do over a year," said Reid during a chat with the Olympic Channel.

But the veteran tactician doesn’t want to read too much into the result. He prefers to brush it aside as a one-off performance and rather focus on areas that need more improvement if India have to finish on the podium in Tokyo.

"The numbers behind that, tell a different story. It wasn't a 6-1 game. If you play that game 20 times then you would expect something of a 3-3 game, a scoreline of that sort. But having said that, it was great that we took all opportunities that were handed to us," admitted the coach.

What excited him more was that he was finally locking horns with an opposition of repute, a much-needed change from doing the regular stuff at the training grounds in SAI (Sports Authority of India), Bengaluru.

"The fact that we got to play was the most impressive and positive outcome of the trip. There was excitement within the squad. Even just going out and travelling, doing the regular stuff that we used to do one year before felt great. We were tested nine times in 16 days and that is not much fun. Regardless, the trip was fantastic."

Following their sojourn in Germany, the Indian team also travelled to Antwerp, Belgium to play two matches against Great Britain. In those two games, the Indian team showed strength of character and perseverance with late goals that changed the complexion of the match. Simranjeet equalised late in the third match, while Mandeep scored the winner in the dying minutes of the fourth game.

"We made sure we kept up the pressure till the very last minute and got a goal to level 1-1. When you practice doing that it’s great to know that you can do it again. Then in our last game, we again managed to get a goal in the last two minutes to get a win. You have to learn to graft out those games. We definitely played much better in the fourth game.

"It was great to play against two different styles in two different countries. When we have a camp for 12 months and when I look at how much time we spent on the pitch improving it is not 12 months at all. It is more like four and five. It is hard to recreate the competition that facing another team gives you. So all the little idiosyncrasies that playing a competition gives you, make a better team. Matches give you problems and you learn to find solutions to them," observed Reid.

After a successful European trip, India will next head towards South America to take on Argentina in the FIH Pro League. The Argentine team possesses a different kind of challenge, which will help the men in blue prepare more comprehensively before the Olympics.

"Argentina are a really very good team. They play a different style and that's what I am looking forward to. I think one of the things we need to improve is making decisions on the field and to do that you must come across different problems to solve. Winning in hockey is about solving problems. So playing many different styles of teams is really good for the next four-five months. They lull you into a false sense of security, almost put you to sleep sometimes and then they attack. So that's what we need to be ready for. It is going to be an interesting challenge," commented the coach.

Amidst the impressive show in Europe, there was one aspect that concerns India; the tendency to concede penalty corners. The World title winning coach also spelt out what it takes to be a rusher in hockey, as they have always been a rare and premium commodity.

"I think in the first game it was that sort of a game where they were blowing a little bit differently. We are blowing things in training that may not necessarily be the same that is happening in Europe. It was a bit of an aspect of that. However, in the last three games, we improved a lot on that. Sometimes you give away a penalty corner and then while defending you give away another one. So these things happen. But since we have got back we are reconsolidating ourselves and we have a very good battery.

"I think the three major ingredients to be a world-class rusher are agility, you need to be able to anticipate the line in which the ball will be delivered and then change the angle to which you are running, many people can run out fast but not accurately. You need the skill to change your line and that's the agility part of it. The second part is the ability to read the play and take into consideration the various variables and the history of the battery. Whereas the third part is bravery, you need to be brave."

It must be noted that although India gave away penalty corners cheaply, they conceded only once which shows that although teams are getting more set-pieces the rate of conversion has declined with the advent of different tactics.

"I think it is happening since the World Cup 2014. That's the way you defend corners these days. You have to develop new skills and variations. There is a first rusher and a second rusher, and the second one is a bit towards the left shoulder of the first. Whereas to score you have to pretend that you are flicking left and go right. Or as you come to flick you drag the ball a little bit to the left to miss the rusher or vice versa. These are tactics and that's hockey."

Reid believes that rule changes in hockey have pushed the game to evolve more quickly. And while India plays a quickfire brand of hockey, he thinks that his outfit have the potential to play even faster.

"In 2009 when the self-pass rule came in, it accelerated the speed of the game. Since then, it has become a very, very fast game. You need to be really fit to play as you have 11 attackers and 11 defenders today. You have to be at the top of your physical shape, as you have to block someone with the body and not with the stick. There are still things which one has to look at (for a review).

"However, I love the speed and skills. Most of the technical changes that have happened in the game have happened in the last decade are due to rule changes. Or the tactics that have changed are down to rule changes. Now you cannot hit the ball directly into the circle. But it was not a long time ago that you could do so. So you had to develop different tactics to do that. The long corner rule changed two to three times. All those little things make the difference. But I think we can really play even faster."

Indian players are known for their skills and wit on the field. Reid believes that this is a necessary adjustment that Indians have made over the years to tackle the more physically dominating Europeans.

"Indian hockey comes from a different place. If you look at the history of the game in Australia, a lot was imported into it. So Australia also started from a different place than the European game. You develop different skills. A lot of Indian skills have developed because they are not big-bodied like the Europeans. We have to bridge the gap in strength. Yet we do have a few big-bodied players like Rupinder (Singh). But that's what I like about hockey.

"Some of the best in the world are not huge. We have a lot of stick skills and we will continue to use those. We like to pass the ball around and don't give time to tackle. When you look at Vivek (Prasad) he is a tiny player, but look at how we played against Germany. Then when you don't have speed then you develop other skills to compensate for that. We have different skills to Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, and that's what unique about India."

India are currently counted as one of the elites in world hockey. It is the little adjustments and ability to adapt to different opposition that sets them apart. After an unbeaten European trip, all eyes will be on them in Argentina as they play back-to-back games on 10th-11th April. Another strong performance will not only propel them in the rankings but also act as a huge morale-booster with just a few months left for the ultimate showdown