Graham Reid has achieved exalted standing in India, having guided the boys’s hockey crew to their first Olympic medal (bronze) in 41 years. The query is: will he be capable to do an encore on the World Cup that begins on Friday in Odisha?
India have had various outcomes submit the Tokyo Video games beneath the chief coach: a bronze on the Asian Champions Trophy, third in Professional League, silver at Commonwealth Video games and a 1-4 loss within the Australia sequence in November-December.
However the 58-year-old stays optimistic as ever whereas discussing India’s probabilities on the upcoming World Cup. In an interview, he discusses the crew’s preparation, strengths and weaknesses, the brand new venue at Rourkela and the sequence loss Down Beneath amongst different matters. Excerpts:
You’ve been in Rourkela for just a few days now. What’s your impression of the brand new venue?
The junior Indian crew performed some check video games (in opposition to South Korea juniors) right here and had been optimistic about it. They stated the pitch is slightly softer than the one we’re used to in Bengaluru (SAI Centre the place the nationwide camp is normally held). We have been in Rourkela for just a few days now, our guys are used to the pitch. The venue is definitely lovely. It critically is. It’s a fantastic setup. You go searching and it’s fairly wonderful; the stadium which is state-of-the-art, constructed superbly, completed off properly, having such a measurement of the stadium, 20,000 folks… is kind of unbelievable. The turf itself is flat which is nice as a result of generally you come alongside the occasional bounce. It is rather good to play on it. The boys are having fun with themselves immensely, enjoying and coaching exhausting.
A softer pitch? Will it have an effect on play?
As soon as your legs get used to it, beneath the foot, I do not assume it’s such a serious problem. It’s simply that each turf is totally different irrespective of the place you come from. It’s fairly just like Bhubaneswar. We performed there in October.
How is the temper within the camp? It’s the primary time India is enjoying a World Cup as Olympic medallists since Mumbai 1982.
It’s nice. We truly went out on to the turf, sat on it with everybody going via their very own World Cup experiences. Fairly just a few of them have performed in a World Cup. That was a pleasant second for everybody, simply to get their ideas on the historical past of what they’ve been via. It was an incredible little bonding time for the group. The occasions are thrilling. Every day it will get nearer, you may really feel the thrill constructing.
With England, Spain and Wales, India have been handed a tricky group.
It’s fascinating that my spouse jogged my memory after I was concerned with the Australian crew in 2010 and saying the identical 12 years in the past. I used to be discussing how we had been going to get round these group video games because it was such a tricky pool. I don’t assume that modifications whether or not it was 2010, 2014, 2018 or the Tokyo Olympics. Each worldwide event like that is very tough. In fact, our pool is basically robust. You’ve obtained three groups and we’ve performed nearly all of them throughout these final 12 months with varied outcomes. For us, a very powerful factor is we hit the bottom operating. We’ll attempt to play at our greatest and that would be the key. If we’re enjoying properly then, we are able to get via with out too many points however for that we have to be enjoying properly and that’s the focus; to ensure we’re in good contact.
India misplaced the latest Take a look at sequence in opposition to Australia 1-4. What had been your observations?
Look the target was to try to desensitise ourselves slightly bit but additionally get good preparation for the World Cup. The tour was excellent from the standpoint of studying. We learnt so much about ourselves, we learnt so much about Australia and in addition realised that if we play properly, if we get slightly bit extra frugal on the again, then we are able to beat anyone on our day. So, we simply want to ensure we’ve extra days the place we’re on, able to go and play properly. It was fascinating that we had Bram Lomans from the Netherlands in India a few weeks in the past with the drag-flicking camp and he jogged my memory of the 1998 World Cup when the Netherlands gained their final World Cup in Utrecht. Earlier than that they went to Australia and misplaced 1-4. He stated it was fairly reminder… they misplaced to the Aussies however nonetheless ended up successful the World Cup. So, it’s about what you be taught from it (the losses).
What did the boys be taught from Lomans and goalkeeping coach Dennis van de Pol within the latest camp?
The camp was actually good. Dennis will truly be heading over for the World Cup so we could have entry to a goalkeeping coach in Odisha which is nice information. It simply offers them with slightly little bit of stability and the fundamentals is what Dennis brings very properly to our keepers. Having somebody like him was incredible for the final couple of weeks. Bram as properly, relating to our drag-flickers, provides them two or three issues that they’ll give attention to throughout this era. We’re in the course of the second in order that’s been actually good. Undoubtedly value it. The timing too labored properly… simply after we got here again from Australia and earlier than the World Cup.
What are the crew’s strengths and weaknesses?
Our understanding of the best way we play is creating. It develops as you play on, creating alternative ways to beat groups, utilizing totally different strategies. Now we have developed a few alternative ways to press and are attempting various things which we did through the Australia tour. I hope the time we’ve spent on corners will bear fruit throughout this event. Plenty of the group has been collectively for a protracted interval. We’ve not had too many various gamers since our final outing so we’re in fairly good condition.