x6

India

V.V. Subrahmanyam

HYDERABAD: Harendra Singh, chief coach of the Junior World Cup hockey squad, is concerned about the tournament rules which stipulate that the teams that qualify for the super league from the first phase will carry forward the points and also goal averages (for and against).

Singh has adopted a different and softer approach in training his boys. Singh said that there are no worries as far as talent is considered.

"I am not going to dwell on the opponents' strengths. Let us focus on their weaknesses and try to take advantage. For instance, Poland plays a very aggressive game leaving gaps in mid-field. We can exploit such aspects," he said. Singh acknowledges that teams like Australia and Korea have prepared hard.

"Australia has two Olympians and so does Spain. But Argentina and Spain could pose the biggest threat because of their style of play adapted from soccer."

The groupings:

Group A: England, Spain, Korea, Mexico. Group B: Argentina, Germany, Malaysia, South Africa. Group C: Australia, Belgium, Chile, Pakistan. Group D: Egypt, India, Netherlands, Poland.

Rate This Article

Select Here  5 Stars  (Best Rating)   4 Stars   3 Stars   2 Stars   1 Star  (Worst Rating)

Your opinion counts.
Rate this article or enter your comments below.