'Nothing to lose but an Olympic medal to win' - Sjoerd Marijne stands vindicated as India women's hockey team book Tokyo 2020 semifinal berth
The Dutch coach had time and again insisted that the mental fortitude of the squad is exemplary
"I am not a scoreboard coach. I believe in performance," Sjoerd Marijne had told Olympics.com after the Indian women's hockey team returned winless in their two exposure trips in the run-up to Tokyo 2020 where they took on hockey powerhouses like Argentina and Germany.
India lost their first match against Germany 5-0. Yet he believed that the scoreline did not do justice to their performance on the pitch. He chose to focus on the positives and did not bother much about the scoreboard. The mantra was to play their natural game. The mentality of the team had changed and when in possession, this team would not just pass the ball around but would look for circle penetrations even if that left them vulnerable at the back.
Marijne also made it a point to give game time to all the squad members so that before the Olympics, the girls get to know what it takes to play against higher-ranked sides.
"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."
And on Monday morning, the 47-year-old stands vindicated as the Indian team shocked World No.2 Australia 1-0 in the quarterfinals to ensure themselves a spot in the last four in the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics - for the first time in their history.
It is never easy to turn around results in a high-pressure tournament like the Olympics, especially after getting off to a disastrous start against the Netherlands in the opener (5-1 loss). They had earned not a single penalty corner and had just nine circle penetrations compared to 23 for their opponents.
However, as the tournament progressed, the Indian eves started to blossom slowly and steadily. They had already against played the tougher opponents in Germany and Great Britain and in the last two matches, they needed to step up against lower-ranked sides to pick up two wins and progress to the knockouts. And Marijne's troops did not disappoint.
They registered consecutive victories over Ireland and South Africa and gained much-needed confidence before facing Australia. Against the Hockeyroos, they were not intimidated and they looked like a team with a plan.
"Playing full press against Australia with not allowing their midfield to received the ball plus putting too much pressure on ball carrier was key of the today match," stated Harendra Singh, former India coach.
In the fourth quarter, when Australia were firing on all cylinders in their bid to come back in the game, the Indian team defended like a unit, and yet showed no signs of panic. They were calm, composed, collected, and played fearlessly under pressure.
Marijne showed his belief in the squad and rotated the players frequently making 93 substitutions in total so that there were fresh legs on the pitch to keep up the momentum of the press.
With three consecutive victories in the bag, this team has tasted blood and will once again go for the kill in the semifinals against Argentina. And if they can churn out another performance like this, impossible is nothing.
They have nothing to lose but an Olympic medal to win.