India women's hockey team eyes strong outing in European leg of Pro League
The team will then travel to Antwerp on June 19 for two games against Belgium, scheduled for June 21 and 22, before concluding the European leg with matches against China on June 28 and 29 in Berlin.
Currently ranked sixth with nine points, India will face Australia on June 14 and 15, followed by back-to-back matches against Argentina on June 17 and 18.
London, Jun 13 (PTI) Having worked extensively to iron out the chinks in their armour, India will aim for a strong showing in the European leg of the Women's Hockey Pro League, beginning with their clash against Australia here on Saturday.
'We have worked in every department. But the two departments I am focussing on because it is result oriented are — goalkeeping and drag flicking,' chief coach Harendra Singh told reporters on the eve of the match.
Singh also revealed that drag flickers Deepika and Manisha underwent a 10-day specialised camp with renowned Dutch drag-flick expert Toon Siepman ahead of the tour.
'For drag flicking, Deepika and Manisha trained under Toon Siepman, who has years of experience coaching some of the world's top players,' Singh said.
'We also worked on improving our injectors and stoppers. Earlier, five girls were rotating in those roles, but now we've narrowed it down to three.' India will look to build on the momentum gained during the India leg of the Pro League in February, where they held world No. 1 Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in Bhubaneswar and earned a bonus point via shootout.
The team experimented with new combinations during a five-match friendly tour in Perth against Australia A and the Hockeyroos last month. While results were mixed, Singh said the tour provided valuable learning for Salima Tete's side.
'Australia played full press and we learnt how to stretch them with counter-control. We also learnt that we should play stick-to-stick hockey.
'Second learning was to be more resilient on the pitch specially 1v1. I took a squad of 24 to give more players experience but this Pro League we need to be more alert, scan with peripheral vision, play fast hockey.
'I'm confident that the team will get a good result in the four (Pro League) matches.' The coach has opted for a balanced squad that blends experience with young talent.
Singh wants the team to peak during September's Asia Championship as winning the continental championship would mean automatic qualification for next year's World Cup.
'I would say the team is 70 percent fit because we want to peak at the right time which is during the Asian Championship later this year.' With Belgium and Netherlands already qualifying as co-hosts of the World Cup and Germany by virtue of winning the Pro League last year, a good showing in the Pro League could also potentially secure a World Cup berth for India.
'Two teams have automatically qualified as hosts. Germany won the last Pro League and has also qualified. So we have to manage to finish above England and Spain.
'So if we finish fifth, and presuming, for example, Australia qualifies from Oceania, Argentina qualifies (from South America), and one of us or China qualifies from the Asia Cup then there is an opportunity for us to qualify in this Pro League itself,' Singh said.
England are languishing at the bottom of the points table with five points while Spain is fifth with 14 points from 12 outings. PTI APA AM APA AM AM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pochettino on rejecting Pulisic offer for friendlies: 'I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin'
SAN JOSE, Calif. — U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said he wouldn't allow Christian Pulisic to dictate which games he would be available for, explaining why he rejected the star's offer to play in a pair of friendlies ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup but not the tournament itself. 'I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin,' Pochettino said Saturday, a day ahead of the Americans' opener against Trinidad and Tobago. Pulisic told the U.S. team he was willing to play in the recent games but wanted to skip the tournament to rest after playing about 120 matches over the past two years for AC Milan and the national team. The Americans lost the friendlies, 2-1 to Turkey and 4-0 to Switzerland, and were dealt their first four-game losing streak since 2007. Pulisic told CBS Sports Golzazo he respected Pochettino's decision to exclude him but 'I didn't understand it.' 'Players not need to understand or not understand,' Pochettino said. 'Players need to listen and to stick with our plan. They cannot dictate the plan. Because if not, OK, we invert — we swap the position, no? That is obvious. ... The most important thing is that we explain why we decided not to include in the two friendly games. And then if you have some problems, no, that is not my problem to understand.' Pulisic, 26, is the top American player with 32 goals in 78 international appearances. Pochettino compared Pulisic's situation to that of defender Sergiño Dest, who reported to training camp in Chicago ahead of the friendlies and then was dropped to continue regaining fitness in his recovery from a torn ACL. 'It's up to us after to assess, to analyze if you need rest or not need rest because we have a group of professional performance doctor and athletic coaches in the federation that can assess you,' Pochettino said. The coach said he understood Pulisic's request but wouldn't alter his decision to have one roster for the entire June/July camp. 'Our decision was to go with the players who wanted to play,' Pochettino said. Pochettino rejected Pulisic being labeled the top American player. 'You say the best player. Yes, is a good player, of course, but he needs to perform,' the coach said. 'If he perform well, and he's the best, it is normal he is going to have a place in the national team ... But it's not because ... I want to be, I want to play, I want to do this, I want to do that.' Pochettino said it was possible midfielder Tyer Adams, who has turf toe, could be available Sunday. 'I hope on the end of this journey together we can leave a trophy that's for sure well deserved, first for the players and then for the country and for the fans to recover the belief and recover that good energy and the good feelings,' he said. 'That is important. In one year that we have an amazing opportunity in the World Cup, being a host of the World Cup.' soccer: /hub/soccer
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Italy set to appoint Gattuso as manager
-Italy are set to appoint their former midfielder Gennaro Gattuso as manager to replace the sacked Luciano Spalletti, Gianluigi Buffon, head of delegation with the Italian football federation , said on Saturday. "We have worked, we are now waiting for the final details," Buffon, speaking at the Under-21 European Championship, told Italy's state broadcaster RAI when asked to confirm that Gattuso would be the new coach. "The president and the whole federation have had some busy days but I think that in the end we made the best choice." Spalletti's sacking came after less than two years in the job, taking charge for the final time in the 2-0 win over Moldova the day after he announced his own dismissal following a 3-0 loss in Norway in Italy's opening World Cup qualifying game. Gattuso, who made 73 appearances for Italy and was a member of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad, recently left Croatian club Hajduk Split by mutual consent, after a third-placed finish in the country's top flight. Claudio Ranieri had been the FIGC's first choice, but the 73-year-old turned down the offer to focus on his senior advisor role at AS Roma. Gattuso began his managerial career as player coach at Swiss club Sion in 2013 where he finished his playing days after 13 seasons with AC Milan but was fired after winning two of his 10 league games in charge. His only trophy as manager came at Napoli, lifting the Coppa Italia in 2020, in a 12-year career in which he has taken charge at nine clubs, including AC Milan, Valencia and a five-month spell at Olympique de Marseille. Gattuso was appointed as Fiorentina manager in 2021, but 22 days later the club announced they had mutually rescinded the agreement, with reports citing disagreements over transfer strategy. The 47-year-old will be tasked with getting Italy to next year's World Cup, after they missed out on the last two tournaments, and will begin on the back foot after the humbling loss in Oslo.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Proud father' Jacques Brinkman lauds son Thierry's leadership in earning long-awaited Dutch glory
Kolkata: This Father's Day will be quite special for Jacques Brinkman. It's not every year that your son wins a gold medal at the Olympics and his son Thierry did exactly that at the Paris Games when he led the Netherlands hockey team to a gold — a first after 25 years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Incidentally, the last time the Dutch side won the gold at the Sydney Olympics, Jacques played a pivotal role as they beat South Korea in the final via penalty shoot-outs. But seeing his son lead the team to the top of the podium after beating Germany in the final was something even more special for Jacques. "It was fantastic to see your child achieve the highest possible goal in sports. Being surrounded by all the family and friends made it unbelievable. After the winning shoot-out, when they secured the gold medal, there were definitely tears — happy tears," said Jacques, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, during an exclusive interview with TOI. While Jacques did have a huge influence on Thierry becoming a hockey player, he took a step back after a while and left it to the coaches to train him properly. "I helped out until Thierry was about 14 or 15. After that, I stepped back to support my other children — Tim and Julie. Thierry is the oldest, so I was more involved in his early years, but then shifted focus as they grew," he added. Whatever he did worked wonders and Jacques is extremely more than proud of what Thierry has become today. "I'm a proud father, of course, but his leadership as a captain is something special. During the celebrations in the Netherlands, Thierry gave a speech to his teammates, and it really showed how naturally he leads," he added. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Jacques was also impressed with the way Thierry handled the situation following the Olympic final when a brawl broke out after Duco Telgenkamp of the Netherlands scored past German keeper Jean-Paul Danneberg and performed a shushing gesture in his face, before appearing to slap his helmet. Besides his performance for the national team, Jacques also followed his son's exploits in the Hockey India League where Thierry played for the Kalinga Lancers. While Lancers failed to make it to the knockouts, Jacques is quite hopeful that the tournament will certainly change the landscape of Indian hockey in the coming years. "The difference between top teams is very small. Winning two Olympic bronzes is a fantastic achievement. India have great players like Harmanpreet Singh, who's excellent with penalty corners. Their goalkeeper (PR Sreejesh) retired recently, which is always a big change. But they're definitely back at the top. The Hockey India League has helped with that," added Brinkman senior. While many believe that will indeed be the case, for now, all eyes are on the World Cup set to take place in the Netherlands and Belgium in a year's time — where Jacques is hopeful of yet another Dutch victory.
