Oltmans defends misfiring strikers ahead of quarters

Raipur, December 1

India’s forwardline might be facing a lot of flak for its poor show in the ongoing Hockey World League (HWL) Final, scoring just two goals in three games, but chief coach Roelant Oltmans today defended his strikers, saying they have been let down by the final pass.

The Indian striking force of Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil, Talwinder Singh, Mohd Amir have been a big disappointment in this tournament so far, wasting numerous scoring opportunities. Only Akashdeep hit a goal during the 1-1 draw against Germany.

But Oltmans came in support of his strike force, putting the blame on the final delivery. “It is disappointing but like I said before, you just can’t blame the forwards. We also need to look at the kind of passes they received. Sometimes it looks like a forward is not picking up the ball, but the pass itself is terrible. Sometimes it’s a bumpy ball, the direction is not good, speed is not good and seems that the forward made the mistake,” Oltmans said.

“I have said many a times that the passing style is not good. We need to improve our passing. And if you see the last three games, the forwards had to receive bouncy balls, and under pressure, it’s not easy. If the pass is not good, he will take time. In the end you want more out of your circle penetrations,” he said.

Although they finished last in Pool B, India still progressed to the quarterfinals because of the format which allows all the eight participating teams a chance to make it to the knockout phase. India will take on the toppers of Pool A in the quarterfinals.

“For me the most important thing is we need to be patient and take more time when we execute our plans. Every attack from us has been a 100 percent. The boys are playing the way I want them to play. But too many times we lose possession somewhere on our way. And we lose a lot of energy in winning back the ball.” — PTI