Star : Quick fix needed
The national hockey team need quick-fix solutions to avoid being the whipping boys at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4-15.
In the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Malaysia finished fourth in a six-team tournament in Ipoh that saw the good and ugly sides of the team in just one week.
They defeated Ireland 4-1 and stunned Olympic champions and world No. 2 Argentina 2-1 but the Malaysian defence – led by skipper Muhd Razie AbdulRahim – conceded 12 goals in two matches against India (1-5) and England (2-7).
Leaking 12 goals in only two games is the worst- ever defensive record for Malaysia in a tournament.
The Podium Programme players were at fault for poor defending and marking. Their goalkeeping and penalty corner conversions were also a letdown.
Malaysia’s two goalkeepers, Muhd Hafizuddin Othman and Muhd Hairi Abdul Rahman, failed to impress in the absence of the experienced S. Kumar, who was named best keeper in the World League Semi-finals in London last year and helped Malaysia to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, from Nov 28 to Dec 16.
The 38-year-old Kumar has been provisionally banned for two years after failing a doping test in the Asia Cup in Dhaka last October.
The team’s shortcomings are a wake-up call for national chief coach Stephen van Huizen. His side need to buck up or they’ll face another beating in the Commonwealth Games.
India and England are in the same group with Malaysia in the Gold Coast Games. The other two teams are Pakistan and Wales.
Stephen admitted that there were weak areas but vowed to strengthen the team.
“Our defence made mistakes against India and England. It’s difficult to accept the fact that we conceded three goals in five minutes in the first quarter against England,” said Stephen.
“We need to rectify these areas as the Commonwealth Games is just three weeks away.”
He said playing six tough matches in eight days was physically tough for his players, who also played in last month’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL). Malaysia also missed the services of injured skipper Muhd Sukri Abdul Mutalib, Mohd Izad Hakimi and Muhd Shamsul Haziq.
“We were the lowest ranked team in Ipoh but we did well against Argentina. We need to be more consistent,” said Stephen, who is looking forward to the team returning to training on Wednesday.
In the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Malaysia finished fourth in a six-team tournament in Ipoh that saw the good and ugly sides of the team in just one week.
They defeated Ireland 4-1 and stunned Olympic champions and world No. 2 Argentina 2-1 but the Malaysian defence – led by skipper Muhd Razie AbdulRahim – conceded 12 goals in two matches against India (1-5) and England (2-7).
Leaking 12 goals in only two games is the worst- ever defensive record for Malaysia in a tournament.
The Podium Programme players were at fault for poor defending and marking. Their goalkeeping and penalty corner conversions were also a letdown.
Malaysia’s two goalkeepers, Muhd Hafizuddin Othman and Muhd Hairi Abdul Rahman, failed to impress in the absence of the experienced S. Kumar, who was named best keeper in the World League Semi-finals in London last year and helped Malaysia to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, from Nov 28 to Dec 16.
The 38-year-old Kumar has been provisionally banned for two years after failing a doping test in the Asia Cup in Dhaka last October.
The team’s shortcomings are a wake-up call for national chief coach Stephen van Huizen. His side need to buck up or they’ll face another beating in the Commonwealth Games.
India and England are in the same group with Malaysia in the Gold Coast Games. The other two teams are Pakistan and Wales.
Stephen admitted that there were weak areas but vowed to strengthen the team.
“Our defence made mistakes against India and England. It’s difficult to accept the fact that we conceded three goals in five minutes in the first quarter against England,” said Stephen.
“We need to rectify these areas as the Commonwealth Games is just three weeks away.”
He said playing six tough matches in eight days was physically tough for his players, who also played in last month’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL). Malaysia also missed the services of injured skipper Muhd Sukri Abdul Mutalib, Mohd Izad Hakimi and Muhd Shamsul Haziq.
“We were the lowest ranked team in Ipoh but we did well against Argentina. We need to be more consistent,” said Stephen, who is looking forward to the team returning to training on Wednesday.
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