Watch the ball is goalkeepers ultimate mantra 
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| Netherlands |
January 15, 2004 
Deccan Herald
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Former Dutch custodian Ronald Jansen feels even the dreaded drag-flickers can be kept at bay by sticking to the basics
Dutch goalkeeper Ronald Jansen stood firm on the goalline even as a packed stadium cheered for Australian midfielder Brent Livermore as he stepped up for the penalty stroke in the tie-breakers of the hockey semifinal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Livermore pushed, Jansen parried and the ball veered away from the goal and Holland were through to the final.
That save proved crucial as it put Holland through to the gold medal round where they claimed the top honours, beating Korea. That tournament was Jansen’s last as he set aside his pads and gloves permanently thereafter.
Jansen, at the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Kuala Lumpur as the Pakistan goalkeepers’ coach, laid stress on a point that goalkeepers needed to keep in mind all the time: “Watch the ball.”
It could very well have been his slogan when he stopped that Livermore effort. That was also the most important thing goaltenders needed to do nowadays as they struggle to find an answer to their nightmare - the drag flicks. Jansen said.
Jansen added that it was very difficult to tackle the new technique, but mentioned that a little watchfulness on the part of the goalkeepers could help them. “The pushes to the corners of the cage may be difficult to stop. But I think the ones that come at shoulder height, if watched carefully, can be saved.”
Jansen added that even Sohail Abbas and Florian Kunz who, he admitted were very fast, could be stopped when they did not send their flicks to the corners.
Jansen found the German goalkeepers the best in the business of international hockey now. “They stand up and watch the ball very keenly. And what they don’t do is gamble. Most goalkeepers take a chance and then another corner is given and then they concede a goal. That is not good. You need to watch the ball, not gamble.”
Jansen found the Australian forwards a very difficult lot to stop in his long career which included two Olympic golds and one World Cup win.
“The Australians are always diving and reaching for the ball, so it is very difficult to stop them.”
Jansen, however, did stop an Australian at the Sydney Olympics. “It was very sad for Livermore, he had a wonderful tournament.
“It so often happens in a tournament, the best players always miss the stroke. It happens so often that it has now become normal.”
Jansen is on board alongwith another Dutchman Roeland Altmans, the coach of the Pakistan team.
The two who were together when Holland won gold at the 1996 Olympics in Barcelona could cook up another bit of magic for another team in another Olympic year.
India take on Spain
Asia Cup champions India face the daunting task of trying to repair their damaged reputation and avoid being the wooden spoonist as they take on Spain on Friday, adds UNI.
India have played at the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament seven times but have never finished last. They have won the title thrice in 1985, 1991 and 1995 and were placed third in 1983 and 2000.
Their worst ever placing at the tournament was in 1996 when they finished in fifth place from a field of six teams.
Thus the match against Spain is very significant for them as a win may well save them from an embarrassment.
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