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COVER
STORY: OLYMPICS SPECIAL
The
Gift Of Gold
A former
national coach offers advice and tips in an open letter to the Indian
Olympic hockey team
 By
M.K. Kaushik
My Dear
Boys,
Before I
wish you well, I ask you to remember that you have been selected as national
players from among the 1,000 million people in India. You now have a responsibility,
both to your countrymen and to hockey. Till today, no country has been
able to match our record of eight Olympic golds. You must believe that
you are going to Sydney to create history by winning the ninth gold medal.
Your coach Vasudevan Baskaran knows what an Olympic gold means; he was
captain of the team that won the medal in Moscow 20 years ago. This time
in Sydney, gift him with gold because he has shown such faith in all of
you.
As a former
national coach, I ask you to keep your head on your shoulders, control
your emotions in victory and hold your temper in defeat. The tournament
director (TD) is a Canadian, Eric Donegani. Canada has never forgiven
us for that draw with Malaysia in the pre-Olympic tournament of 1996 which
threw them out of the Atlanta Games. The umpires will want to get into
the td's good books, so imagine you are playing 13 men not 11.
I look at
your schedule and while every match will be tough, it can be done. Here
are my ideas:
Argentina
on September 17: The team that did us in in 1996, when we could have gone
all the way. Remember they play hockey like they play football, rough,
bruising and in the 3-3-3-1 formation. Our best chance to score is either
through indirect penalty corners or by using the scoop which works well
against Argentina. In the short corners there could be several indirect
conversions, either through a deflection off a Dilip Tirkey hit or a back
pass to the pusher on the right side. We can win this match by two goals
but we must follow an attack until we finish it.
Australia
on September 19: This is going to be the most important match for us in
the league. You must produce controlled hockey, and play tight for the
first 10 minutes. Conceding an early lead to the home team can be suicidal.
While we usually play the "W" formation, the Aussies use the
very opposite, so keep an eye out for their inside forwards. Also remember
to keep their angle of attack to its narrowest because the last thing
you should do is give the Kookaburras target practice. Try and help Olympic
first-time goalkeeper Jude Menezes gain confidence as soon as possible.
The backs, Tirkey, Lazarus Barla, Dinesh Nayak, remember to push the ball
back to Jude so he blocks a few shots and gets into the game sharp and
keen. Against the Kookas, numerical superiority is the key. If they have
four men attacking we must have five defending. In attack, keep two men
attacking and rotate the others to do the tiring up-and-down feeder job.
In this game, don't underestimate your strengths as dodgers, if you have
a man to beat, beat him and go for the goal. Earning a draw from this
match should not be tough.
South Korea
on September 21: These boys are fit, I think the fittest in the world,
so our retackling must be top class here. One-on-one we are a superior
side, but they are workhorses who will run and run and run and the moment
you give them a loose ball, they will tackle it away from you. Their penalty
corner set pieces are excellent, but to my mind they have only two combinations.
Send scouts to watch their earlier matches and see if they do something
new. They have two good forwards, and two of ours must be glued to those
men at all times. Never, under any circumstances, give them any breathing
room inside our own 25-yard line. If you can get a quick goal right up,
then the game is set up for you.
Spain on
September 23: This is a very crucial match because everything may depend
on it. Control, again, is the key, and remember to keep a check on Spain's
three midfielders because they control the game. Check the inside forwards,
block them cleanly inside our half. Keep two attackers up and be quick
on the counter. Their set pieces are excellent and you have to watch their
tactics in earlier games. The team management must remember this and sit
down with the defence and plan on how to take the wheels from under them.
Poland on
September 26: They're another of those wonderful teams which play rugby-style
hockey, so prepare to be bruised, but not beaten. A 3-4 goal margin is
what you are capable of here, but don't put yourself under any pressure
of numbers. Their goalkeeper is good at blocking the scoop so take direct
shots at goal, and Tirkey, use this one to fire away.
Play an
offensive and daring game, understand that togetherness is everything
in a team. Play together, stay together, relax together. You should use
this time to grow as players, as people, as friends and if you do, you
can be winners too.
Think about
your mission at all times and never forget that an individual never wins
a hockey gold medal, the team does. An Olympic campaign is a serious business,
so keep your mind on it, no matter what the distractions, and believe
me, there will be plenty.
Remember
which uniform you wear and who you represent, so walk tall. Play hard,
play competitive hockey. Go out and bring back something that is ours.
Good luck and Godspeed,
M.K. Kaushik
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