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The Indian men's hockey team began their Olympic campaign on a relatively positive note with a thrilling 3-2 win against New Zealand which was followed by a 1-1 draw with Argentina.
Despite the manner of the win against the Black Sticks, which was arguably less-than-convincing, former coach Sjoerd Marijne asserted that the Indians have always struggled against New Zealand who are a tricky opponent.
During an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, the Dutchman, who has been following the men's hockey tournament at Paris 2024 closely, explained why the Indians were deserving winners in their Olympic opener.
Sjoerd Marijne, who was coach of the Indian men's team that lost to New Zealand in the semifinals of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, stressed that the Black Sticks are difficult opponents who prefer to defend doggedly rather than attack.
"India always struggles against New Zealand. I've also experienced that. And at the beginning of a tournament, -you never play your best match," Marijne stated.
"It's important for the team now to grow into the matches and learn from their mistakes. And also see what did they do well. I think the match against New Zealand, was a difficult one with a very difficult opponent who also doesn't want to play themselves so much," he affirmed.
Sjoerd Marijne reasoned that the Indians were deserving winners because they had to create chances against a team that does not traditionally play attacking or free-flowing hockey.
"As a result of the way New Zealand play, India had to create chances. The other thing that I saw was that the moment India started applying more pressure, they were able to play with more freedom and more energy. And yeah, that's where they created more opportunities," he reasoned.
"It's not about who played the game better. It's not about who had the ball more than the other team. It's about who scored the goals, more goals than the other side. So, India did. So, then, at the end, they deserve the win. Also, like today (against Argentina ) they get the draw. These are very difficult matches," Marijne said.
The video umpires have been in focus in men's hockey at the Paris Games following a few contentious and inconclusive calls.
A controversial Indian goal that appeared to trickle past the goalline fractionally before it was played out by a New Zealand defender was referred to the video umpire who ruled there was no advice possible.
In India's game against Argentina, the on-field umpire overruled a decision of the video umpire to award a penalty stroke to the Indians a minute before Craig Fulton's chargers eventually scored the equalizer.
Sjoerd Marijne mentioned that a lot of things are going right with the video referral facility but in hockey, like other sports, there was always scope for ambiguity.
"We try to cover everything with the videograph and a lot of things are going well. But sometimes these kind of things happen. That's the way it is. That's also sports and that's also in hockey," he argued.
Marijne stressed that the Indians need PR Sreejesh to be at his best in Paris and how the Indian goalie performs could prove vital to the team's fortunes.
"India has a lot of international experience in the team. Of course, Sreejesh is still there with a lot of experience. Also for him, the question is will this tournament be his best tournament? Because India needs him to deliver," Marijne stated.
"He did really well at the Tokyo Olympics and now again, he still has to perform at that level. Will it be possible at his age? I think so. He has proven this. But when you get older, the reaction speed goes down. It is how nature works," the vastly experienced coach said.
"The Netherlands the most consistent thus far" - Sjoerd Marijne on which team has impressed him the most in men's hockey at Paris 2024
The man who took the Indian women's team to striking distance of a medal at Tokyo 2021 feels that the Netherlands impressed him the most thus far in the men's hockey competition at the Paris Olympics.
"If you see the results, you would say the Netherlands. I think they are doing really well and they are a very good team. I would definitely predict a top three finish for them at the end," Sjoerd Marijne predicted.
"In the beginning, I thought like, Germany are the most impressive, then in their second match they lost to Spain. Yeah, they didn't do that well. So there are not many teams who are really consistent and making easy goals," Marijne noted.
The Dutch beat South Africa 5-3 before getting the better of France 4-0 and are the only team in Pool A to have won both their matches thus far.
The 50-year-old coach, who has been closely associated with Den Bosch club in the Netherlands, also stated that despite struggling in the Pro League, Belgium's experienced lineup may well come good one more time at the Olympics.
"You see it also with Australia and with Belgium. It's becoming really difficult for these teams as well out there. Either the other teams are getting better or the gap in levels is reducing," Sjoerd Marijne observed.
"If you look at the Olympics, the Belgians are very experienced and they have two or three young players in the team. They have the experience and know how to play the big matches," Marijne said.
The Indian men's hockey team that won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics is aiming for a second successive podium finish in Paris 2024.
