Key objective is to qualify for World Cup, asserts Janneke Schopman

The Indian Women's Hockey Team chief coach talks about the preparations for the upcoming Women's Asia Cup.

As the 2022 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup draws near, Indian women’s hockey team Chief Coach Janneke Schopman is eager to make a positive start to her term at the helm of the women’s team. The 2022 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup, to be held in the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman from 21 – 28 January, will set the stage as the first major competition for the Indian eves in the new year.

Speaking about her team’s preparation for the Asia Cup, Janneke Schopman said, “Currently we are working on defining our style of play as the Indian Women’s Team. That means a lot of movement on and off the ball and people joining in attack as we want to play fast and attacking hockey. We want to make use of our skills and speed to good effect. At the same time, we want to be a sturdy defensive unit and take pride in competing in our 1v1 duels. I am happy with what I am seeing because the better we defend in training, the more necessary it becomes to attack better, and that really accelerates the progress of the team.”

Speaking about the team’s goals in the quadrennial competition where the Indian eves enter the fray as the defending champions, Janneke Schopman said, “First of all, our first key objective will be to qualify for the World Cup. That is most important because that is where the best teams in the world come together to compete. I am also very keen to see the level where we are at the moment and whether we can execute the style of play that I envision for the team. I am not looking to measure my team against our opponents in the competition, but instead against my own expectations of how I want my team to play. I am eager to see how the team will perform in Oman as it will be really challenging.”

Speaking about handling the added pressure of being defending champions in the Asia Cup, Janneke Schopman said, “Having been a player myself, I understand that there are certain situations when you are just expected to win. However, my expectations from the team are quite different. Each player has a job to do on the field and I am more concerned with how the players execute their own jobs and responsibilities out on the field. I am more concerned with the performance than the results, and if we are able to keep performing how we want then I am sure that the results will follow.”

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