Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 Pool C: Four-time champions Netherlands favourites in the group

Chile will be making their debut in this tournament.

The Netherlands will be the most experienced team in the group has won the Hockey World Cup four times and has progressed to the finals seven times. New Zealand on the other hand has been a regular part of the World Cup and will look to get beyond the group stages. Malaysia has been performing well in Asia and is yet to showcase its skills on the world stage while Chile will debut in the 2023 World Cup and will be the underdogs in the group with not much pressure.

Fact Sheet

Teams

Netherlands

History at the World Cup

The Netherlands has a rich history at the men’s World Cup winning the mega event thrice and finishing runner-up on four occasions. The famous victory was against Pakistan beating them in their own backyard in the 1990s in the world’s largest hockey stadium (in terms of capacity) in Lahore, Pakistan.

Head coach & Key Players

Jeroen Delmee represented the Netherlands in his playing days winning two Olympic gold medals. He was the national coach for the French National team for four years (2017-21) and then took over in September 2021. Van Ass Seve the 30-year-old has represented the nation 203 times scoring 29 goals and is the most experienced player in the team.

Strengths and Weakness

Netherlands is the most experienced team in Group C having good experience in all the departments. But going by the recent form the Netherlands has only won one game (outright) in the four matches at the men’s pro league. They have won 12 out of the 16 matches in the 2021-22 edition of the pro league but are finding it tough this time. 

Expectations

Favourites to finish as the group toppers and reach the quarterfinals from Group C.

New Zealand

History at the World Cup

New Zealand's best finish at the World Cup is finishing seventh on four occasions (1971, 1973,1975). They finished in the ninth spot in the last edition and will look to finish higher in the 2023 edition. 

Head coach and Key player

Greg Nicol is one of the greatest to have played the game for South Africa representing in two Olympic Games. He took over the New Zealand coaching setup in December 2021. Simon Child the 34-year-old is close to getting to 300 caps and has scored 140 goals. He has experience playing in India before at the Hockey India League.

Strength and Weakness

The squad consists of a mix of experience and youth and if they balance the play then they have a good chance to progress further after the league stage. Simon Child in the attack will play a major role with the defence consisting of two quality defending players who need to match the expectations. New Zealand’s best finish is seventh and this time shall look to go further. New Zealand conceded 11 goals in two matches against India at the men’s pro league in 2022. They lost to India (4-7) and (3-4) with the defence leaking too many goals. Apart from the Pro League, the side hasn't played many matches.

Expected Finish

High chances of finishing in the second spot in group stages and progressing to the crossovers. The path to the quarterfinals will be tough with quality opponents from the other groups.

Malaysia

History at the World Cup

Malaysia has qualified for the World Cup on nine occasions and their best finish was in 1975 finishing fourth losing the bronze medal playoff match. The Asian side did not qualify for two successive World Cups in 2006 and 2010 but is now steadily showing improvement by qualifying for the third consecutive edition.

Head coach and Key Player

Arul Anthoni took over the coaching reigns for the second time in August 2020 and will have an uphill task at the World Cup. Razie Rahim the 35-year-old is the most capped player in the team with 264 and is also the highest goal scorer with 107 goals.

Strengths and Weakness

Although Malaysia does not play in high-level matches frequently they are known for creating major upsets. They beat India in the 2018 Asia Cup by scoring the winning goal at the last minute. On their day they can beat any opponent. They have been good against lower-ranked opposition but have lacked consistency while against top teams which were seen at the 2022 Nations Cup where they finished fourth.

Malaysia lost to both South Korea and Ireland in the knockout matches with a goal difference greater than three. The team needs to keep their defence strong and not concede too many goals.

Expected Finish

High chances of Malaysia finishing in the third spot but unlike last time can finish higher in the points table.

Chile 

History at the World Cup

They are making their maiden appearance in the 2023 FIH Men’s World Cup.

Head coach and Key Players

Jorge Dabanch will be the first coach to guide Chile to the maiden men's World Cup. Rodriguez the 32-year-old forward will be the key player who has played 124 matches and scored 82 goals. He was crucial for Chile's qualification to their maiden men’s hockey World Cup.

Strengths and Weakness

More than the strength Chile will look to make use of this opportunity and enjoy playing in front of a huge crowd. They do not have anything to lose being the underdogs so should look to play freely without much pressure. Apart from a few players Chile pretty much has a young squad lacking experience. They qualified for the 2023 World Cup finishing as a finalist in the Pan-American trophy which is one of their greatest achievements. This mega tournament will be a learning curve and also give a taste of how to play in high-pressure games.

Expected Finish

They are expected to finish last.

Schedule

14th January 2023: New Zealand vs Chile, 1 PM IST

14th January 2023: Netherlands vs Malaysia, 3 PM IST

16th January 2023: Malaysia vs Chile, 1 PM IST

16th January 2023: New Zealand vs Netherlands, 3 PM IST

19th January 2023: Malaysia vs New Zealand, 1 PM IST

19th January 2023: Netherlands vs Chile, 3 PM IST