KUALA LUMPUR: The countrywide hockey gamers have a lot of catching up to do primarily based on their performances on the concluded FIH Series Finals.
This changed into the remark made with the aid of former countrywide educate Datuk Seri N. Shanmuganathan (percent), who said the players lacked fundamental capabilities and made the identical mistakes time and again.
“We need to have gained the very last in opposition to Canada; however, we blew it due to the mistakes in defense and negative finishing. I am unhappy with the mistakes they made in matches,” said Shanmuganathan, who has featured in three Olympics and three World Cups.
Malaysia squandered penalty strokes and failed to convert five penalty corners in the final before going down three-2.
He delivered the defenders aren’t using the right method to address their warring parties as they like to do it at the run, making it more difficult to get the ball.
“The defenders also are sluggish in clearing the ball from the semi-circle, and they gave away penalty corners easily,” he said.
“In the group match against China, the opponents scored three penalty corners goals because we had bad talents in stopping the penalty nook tries.
“They by no means seemed to study from their mistakes because it was the identical case inside the final suit towards Canada, wherein they conceded penalty corner desires in the area of mins,” stated Shanmuganathan.
“It goes to be tough to win matches if Malaysia concedes greater than two goals in a healthy. Malaysia needs to red meat up their power in defense if they harbor any hopes of qualifying for the next 12 months’ Tokyo Olympics,” said Shanmuganathan, who becomes the captain of the Malaysia team who finished fourth inside the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
“The different disappointing reality is that the forwards are not capable of discovering their target to score despite growing several possibilities in a suit. They like to take the ball to their left facet before using reverse stick hit to attain goals.
“I don’t comply with it as there may be no attitude to score. Instead, they must use a snapshot at goal as the ball may soar off the goalkeeper pads before different gamers could sprint in to score.
He stated countrywide coach Roelant Oltmans have to check out some of these elements and hope they will be better prepared for the playoff matches in October to qualify for the Olympics.
