KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh has urged his players to improve their defensive duties to avoid falling victim to France’s attacking prowess in tomorrow’s second Nations Cup pool match in Gniezno, Poland.
Sarjit’s call to action comes after his side squandered a comfortable three-goal lead to ultimately draw 4-4 in their opening match against Pakistan yesterday.
Malaysia’s four goals in the match came courtesy of Fitri Saari (brace), Azrai Abu Kamal, and Faizal Saari.
For the record, France also opened their Nations Cup campaign with a win by demolishing world number 20-ranked Canada 4-0.
Speaking to Scoop from Gniezno, Sarjit emphasised the need for vigilance against their world number nine French opponents, noting that France will go all out in the Nations Cup to prepare for this year’s Paris Olympics.
Having clashed six times before the tournament, the Speedy Tigers boast a higher winning percentage of 50%, with their latest victory over Les Bleus coming in the 2015 Fintro Hockey World League semi-finals.
“Though I was happy with the overall performance of my team and the number of goals scored in our opening game against Pakistan, I’m disappointed with our defence.
“This has been a recurring issue since the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, and we really need to fix it if we hope to do well against France and the other teams in this tournament.
“On top of that, we need to capitalise on our opportunities, and our defensive players should stop making mistakes and allowing our opponents to score.
“France is a really strong side, and they have brought their best team to gain exposure for this year’s Olympics. Hence, we should not take them lightly and become their victims.
“Thank God we don’t have any injuries from our previous match, so we hope to give our best against France tomorrow,” said Sarjit when contacted.
Sarjit also commended the performance of his goalkeeper, Hafizuddin Othman, for consistently showing up when it matters most and has pledged to give him more minutes in the tournament.
“The intensity of the Nations Cup is much higher than what Hafizuddin has experienced at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, and I’m really pleased with the way he has been making fantastic saves for our side.
“I will be giving him more minutes, and as a coach, I need to elevate his level. Our coaching team has been brilliant in moulding him, but we also need to provide him with a solid backline.
“I understand that we have several junior players in the backline who need time to buck up. They need to maintain their momentum and prove themselves with the game time given to them,” Sarjit added.
The gaffer, who was brought in by the Malaysia Hockey Confederation on a two-year contract, selected 18 players from a pool of 30 from his revamped side who recently competed in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where Malaysia finished fourth.
The Speedy Tigers are grouped with France, Pakistan, and Canada in Pool B at the Nations Cup. – June 1, 2024