Out of form India takes on Germany

New Delhi: India’s chief coach Terry Walsh will have understood the real magnitude of the task before him after two woeful defeats at the ongoing Hero Hockey World League Final here over the last two days.

More than the results, what will worry him more is the nature of the defeats. If Walsh was looking for positive points to take away from the first two matches under his charge, he will be hard pressed to find any.

The team looked totally disjointed during their matches against England and New Zealand. The players committed elementary mistakes, and even the basics like trapping and passing have been sub-standard at best.

The new-look forwardline comprising debutants Nithin Thimmiah and Akkan Yousuf alongside Mandeep Singh have seemed out of their depth so far. There was little co-ordination with the mid-field and circle penetrations were few and far between. The defence has also looked a bit brittle under pressure.

With three dragflickers — V.R. Raghunath, Rupinder Pal Singh and Amit Rohidas — in their ranks, the hosts were expected to score regularly from penalty corners. But they have been unable to utilise the set pieces due to poor execution.

“Our performance was sub-standard and unacceptable. We play well in training but when it comes to performing under pressure we falter,” a livid Walsh said after New Zealand game.

India’s rivals in the third and final pool match will also be unhappy with their performance so far.

The world’s top ranked team started well with a 6-1 thrashing of New Zealand but their performance during the 1-2 loss to England left much to be desired.

The English players do not allow rivals too much space in the midfield and Germany found it difficult to build up meaningful attacks.