THAT the national team would win the tri-series involving Pakistan Juniors and Malaysia was a foregone conclusion even at the time when it was scheduled. Such encounters are always more beneficial for minnow sides rather than for the stronger ones, and in the context of the series, Pakistan was surely a much superior side than the Juniors or the Malaysians.
As such, the beneficiaries naturally were these two sides who would have picked up a thing or two with this exposure. The only thing the national side can, and should, do is to avoid taking this win seriously and keep focussing on the tougher assignments ahead.
Playing against sides of superior, or at least equal competence, is the only way of trying out your skills and new drills in a competitive environment. By playing them alone, you get to know how weak you are in your weaker areas, and how strong you are in your stronger areas. In the absence of such a vital data, it is next to impossible for anyone to devise a strategy for crucial tournaments, like the Champions Trophy, the Olympics and so on.
While the Azlan Shah Cup, which is probably the next scheduled outing for the team, will pose a few serious challenges to the boys and the team management, the real challenge will come at the Olympic qualifiers and at the Olympics itself. While international calendars are carved out much in advance and the PHF management must now be knowing what lies ahead in the next year, it will still do well to make use of any opportunity to play against sides like Germany, Holland, Australia and India before the Olympics. This is the only way of building a side for the all-important games in Athens.
Back to the tri-series at home, the national side once again tried out the 4-4-2-1 European format. Of course it was not a surprise, for the team was playing under a European coach. On the face of it, there is absolutely no problem with the composition and much to gain from it. But a realistic look suggests the strategy will cause more confusion in the long run than the problems it might resolve in the short term.
The reason is simple: the format works for the Europeans because their entire system is based on it. The young lad who plays hockey at school is also exposed to the same format and grows up to the national level playing 4-4-2-1. In contrast, the game in our country is based on the Asian 5-3-2-1 format, and this is what young lads playing hockey gets exposed to for almost the entire duration of their career.
Changing things at the level of the national team without making it happen at the junior levels is an easy recipe for disaster. A junior getting upgraded to the national level will only find himself out of depth in the new format, and will cause serious disruption in the side for no fault of his own.
Now that the PHF has hired a European coach, it will have to promote the format at the grassroots level, because it is in no position to ask the coach to devise his strategy on the Asian format. In simple words, the European format is the only format the European coach is expert at. It is for the PHF to make the necessary adjustments.
THAT the national team would win the tri-series involving Pakistan Juniors and Malaysia was a foregone conclusion even at the time when it was scheduled. Such encounters are always more beneficial for minnow sides rather than for the stronger ones, and in the context of the series, Pakistan was surely a much superior side than the Juniors or the Malaysians.
