CHENNAI: India women’s hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne is confident that his wards can beat US in a two-legged Olympic qualifier next month. In an interview, the Dutchman also exuded the belief that his position is not dependent on what the team does in Bhubaneswar on November 1 and 2. Excerpts.
Performance against world champions Great Britain.
It was great, heartening (India drew the five-match series 1-1). What was most important was our performance. It’s always the most important thing in practice games, and I thought it was very successful from that aspect. When we left the tour, we all felt very positive.
Similarity of play between Great Britain and US.
There is a difference in quality because Great Britain are No 5, and US No 13. But when you are talking about aspects like physicality, one-on-one 1 play and so on, both are similar. So, it was ideal preparation. The girls also felt the same thing.
Impressive results over the last few months (women have lost just once in their last 14 games).
It’s obvious that we have not only maintained our quality throughout this time, but we have also improved as a team. We won the Olympic test event as well as the FIH Series Finals, apart from the series against Great Britain. We know that we can still improve as a unit.
Looking ahead to the US challenge.
We can only focus on the things that we can influence, and it’s important to keep doing that. I cannot allow my focus or the players’ focus to be on topics that we cannot control. I obviously cannot tell you what we plan to do for the tie, because they also read stuff. But at the end of the day, it’s a mental process. The most important thing is that we need to be able to look into the mirror and say, “We did everything in our power”.
A possible over-reliance on Gurjit Kaur (drag-flicker).
She likes that. You must enjoy the thrill to perform at that stage and at the right moment. But as a team, we don’t feel that we are dependent on this player or that player.
Whether there is extra pressure on him.
No. I have a contract till 2020. What I feel is that my position is not dependent on those two games. I have a very good feeling. This tie is going to be for all the girls, they have put in all the hard work and the effort.