Hockey: India eves coach Sjoerd Marijne talks up performances in tough tours to Argentina and Germany
The India women's hockey team coach is proud of the improvement that the squad has made ahead of the Olympics
The Indian women's hockey team started the year by locking horns with two formidable opponents -- Argentina and Germany in the first two months. There was little doubt that the Indian women will be in for a stern test when they would take on the second and fourth-ranked teams in the world in their own backyard.
In the end, they could not muster a win from the two trips, but they displayed an encouraging brand of hockey, which provided some relief to their Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne.
"There are no negatives for me. If you get to play after one year, you can count only the positives. You can say the results were negative but everything is about performance for me at this moment," the tactician stated to the Olympic Channel.
"The results show that we need to improve a few things but for me, the most important thing was to see how we fare against the top three in the world."
"Previously, they would go in these matches with the aim to keep the score as low as possible and now they go with the mentality to win them. It is important to see how close are we getting. You don't get many opportunities against these top countries and the few you get, you have to execute them.
If you don't then you have a problem. We get to learn so many things playing against these opponents. It is good that things are happening now and not in the Olympics. We have time to work on it and that's why I am counting on the positives," he continued to explain.
Against Germany, the Indian team tried to play their natural game and had almost equal possession and the number of circle penetrations.
The change in mentality is one of the major positives that Marijne has been able to bring about in this team. and although the results are not going in their favour, he thinks the level of performance has been a huge morale booster for the squad.
"I will give you an example. We lost the first match against Germany 5-0. After the match, a German girl came to us and said that 'we were supposed to lose this match as you created many more chances. We executed every chance we had and you didn't.' So that is more important. I am not much about numbers and I am not a scoreboard coach. I believe in performance.
"We can win these matches. We didn't win then but that does not mean we cannot win at the Olympics. That is very important. You have to show the players how many chances they have created and the developments."
In the run-up to the Olympics, he wants to hand an opportunity to all the squad players so that the team can land in Tokyo in the best possible shape.
"We went to Argentina with 25 players and there were not many who didn't play. I think it was really good there. In tournaments, you have to pick your best players and many don't get an opportunity. These players had got good exposure over there and for me, it was more important that these players got to play than winning those matches.
"We are doing everything we can and we can do more. The fitness has improved over the years. We have played a lot of matches within a short time and there was no problem. I am happy with the fitness levels of our girls," he stated.
Beauty Dung Dung and a few other girls have shown promise with the junior team. But Marijne does not want to rush into things and introduce them immediately to the senior team.
"I think we have to be realistic. We have to consider, against which teams they are playing, what is the level of competition. They can play well at that level but there is no guarantee that they will perform at the highest level. The difference is huge. We have Salima (Tete) who is playing with us and again I am happy when I see them doing good things and getting results. It is about performance and also about reality. But these players need time. We must not write them immediately to the top as there is a difference between the top and the junior level," he expressed.
The art of defending penalty corners has evolved over the years and he thinks that the players have become more courageous and hence scoring from them has become more complicated.
"In women's hockey, it is usually different from men's hockey. Scoring penalty corners have now become extremely difficult. We are one of the teams that are doing really well. The ball is not as hard as in men's hockey, but still, it is hard. You see defenders running in at you putting their body in the line."
Before the Olympics, Marijne hopes that his troops can go abroad for another exposure trip against a top opponent so that they are well prepared for the mega event in Tokyo. He also thanked SAI (Sports Authority of India) and Hockey India for their endeavours to organise trips in such difficult situations across the world.
"We are training in a camp. We have a small group. Hopefully, we can travel one more time and be ready for the Olympics. We have had one year extra and the training in this period has helped us much more. We are ready to begin in whatever the situation brings to us. Now, you need to adapt according to the situation.
"At this moment, it is not easy to organise tours. But what SAI and Hockey India did in a very short time has been very impressive. The support is absolutely there. At this moment, they are helping us in every way. I am very happy. To make the sport more popular you have to be successful with the women's team.
"If someone is successful from your country, then everyone can follow. I think it is possible with the way we are progressing. A lot of things are already changing and women's hockey is getting more popular."
Cricket became a household game after Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup in 1983. In India, hockey has got a significant number of admirers and a golden Olympic history. All it requires a little push in the right direction.
A promising display in Tokyo by Marijne's team can open up an entirely new dimension for the young girls aspiring to be hockey heroes.