NEW DELHI: Past laurels will not guarantee selection as players, regardless of stature, will have to fight for their places in a potentially make or break year for the Indian women’s hockey team, newly reappointed head coach Sjoerd Marijne said on Monday.
The Indian women’s team is going through a difficult phase after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024, an unexpected low following their historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Games under Marijne.
The side also missed qualification for the FIH Pro League last year and failed to secure a World Cup berth through the Asia Cup route.
Marijne, who stepped down after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to personal reasons, was brought back earlier this year following the removal of Harendra Singh after a run of poor results. The team will now look to revive its campaign at the World Cup qualifiers in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14.
“We have brought in six junior players and I got to know them really fast. The moment I was appointed, I started watching junior women players’ performances in the HIL. I was curious to know how they respond to training sessions with the seniors and that is going really well,” Marijne told PTI Bhasha in an interview.
“Seniors understand that past achievements don’t count and everyone has to fight for the spot. It’s normal in team sport,” he said when asked about the response of Tokyo Olympians to his approach.
Marijne said change would not happen overnight but added that the team is steadily improving its fitness levels following the return of renowned strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard.
“We are getting there with small steps at a time. When Wayne and I arrived, there were a lot of small injuries in the team and that obviously won’t go overnight.
“We have to be very careful and take an individual approach. Some players need more time and some less, and it is very important to get the freshness back,” the Dutch coach said.
While he has a long-term vision for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Marijne admitted the road ahead would be challenging.
“We were underdogs in Tokyo but even today we are ranked ninth. The team didn’t qualify for the Paris Olympics and the Pro League. We are not in the top four in the world, so again we have to come from far,” he said.
“When you don’t qualify for the Olympics, your preparation for the next Olympics starts faster than the countries that do. Belgium is an example. They didn’t qualify for the Olympics but started working on a new process the next day and you can see where they are standing now,” he added.
Marijne said his work also extends to mental conditioning and team bonding, which he believes are crucial at this stage.
“Fitness is one thing, but bonding, getting to know each other and workload management are also important. I also have to know what these girls have learnt in the last few years, what worked and what didn’t.
“Fitness levels cannot go up in four or five weeks and if we do too much, there would be a risk of injuries. Workload management is very important and luckily we have a very good support staff. I am happy that Wayne is back and guiding the process,” he said.
Emphasising the mental aspect, Marijne said players often struggle with their own thoughts.
“Avoiding negative thoughts is important and it can’t be done in one session, it’s a process. We are working on it and have hired someone for that. We do it with profiling so that players get to know themselves and their teammates much better. It also creates better unity,” he said.
Asked about the focus on unity, Marijne said it was based on feedback he received after rejoining the team.
“I have not been part of the process for the last few years and I cannot comment on what the previous coaches have done. One of the things I have noticed and the feedback I received is that this is the area which needs to be improved,” he said, without elaborating further.
While his immediate attention is on the World Cup qualifiers, Marijne said the team is also targeting qualification for the Pro League through the Nations Cup and an Asian Games medal later this year.
“I feel very jealous when I see other teams playing in the Pro League, so we have to qualify through the Nations Cup. I am not really worried about the short gap between the World Cup in August and the Asian Games in September or October, as we were in a similar situation in 2018 too,” he said.