India take on Germany, look to end group stage with victory
Hosts lie at the bottom of Pool B after losing to England, need to win for easy quarterfinal opponent
BHUBANESWAR: With one draw and one loss, India are currently at the bottom of Pool B with one point. So, it was no surprise that the Indians underwent a rather serious training session at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday, the eve of their last group-stage match, against Germany.
Such a scene was expected following the loss to England on Saturday. Coach Sjoerd Marijne’s boys were inconsistent in their second league match struggling to trap the ball and keep possession as England pulled off a 3-2 victory.
Barring a few occasions, when India scored two goals, Manpreet Singh and Co never looked in contention against a well-knit England that didn’t lose heart even after the score was level.
“We need to overcome our inconsistent showing in further matches, including the one against Germany tomorrow (Monday). Yesterday, we couldn’t repeat what we did against Australia in the opening game,” coach Sjoerd told Hindustan Times at the end of his team’s strenuous training session on Sunday. India had played out a 1-1 draw with the Aussies.
“Certainly, we dropped our level in the match against England. I don’t know why? That’s what we need to talk about because if you have reasons you can improve,” said Sjoerd before adding, “Yes, we have gone through the footage of our match
› We need to play attacking hockey till the end. To match up with the world’s top teams, this is the only formula to adopt.
AB SUBBAIAH, Former India goalkeeper and coach
yesterday and tried to learn from our mistakes. Hopefully, we won’t be repeating those mistakes in future.”
The pool is led by the Germans who have four points from one win and a draw. So far, they have been consistent in the 10-day event, and overpowering them in Monday’s game won’t be easy for the hosts.
A win in Monday’s encounter is a must as it would certainly boost India’s confidence ahead of their quarter-final. If they lose, they will have to face the top team of the other pool in the last eight stage. The expectations are high following their win at the Asia Cup in Dhaka this October.
POOR RECORD
For the record, Germany have a better head-to-head record. Out of the 28 duels, they have beaten India 15 times, losing only five times and drawing eight games.
However, India will take heart from their performance against Germany in the Hockey World League Finals. India are unbeaten against them in three matches across two editions — they held Germany 3-3 in preliminary league and beat them 5-4 in a 5-8th place match in the 2012-13 edition in New Delhi. In the final of the 2015-16 editionat Raipur, India held Germany 1-1 in the preliminary league.
Australia take on England at 5.30 pm in another Pool B encounter before India take on Germany at 7.30 pm.