Victory of an educated system
Australia’s World Cup win is the net effect of a well-planned and educated system.
By Pargat Singh
Australia emerged deserving champions. The young German team looked devastated after the final hooter. The 2-1 scoreline in Australia’s favour reflected how close the match was. The post-match emotions were obvious. Hats off to this German team for giving the Australians such a tough fight.
Australia proved they were a powerhouse. They play “full-code” hockey. Probably they are the only team in the world that can play an entire match at the same pace. This is only possible when you train hard and the intensity level is accepted by the mind. The modern game is all about this: a coordination of mind and body.
I had given Germany the edge in the final because they were a younger team and showed great maturity in all their matches. The Germans came into the final unbeaten and therefore had a psychological advantage as well. But then the Germans showed they can be vulnerable as well.
Australia took the game by storm. Attack is always the best of defence in a game where two teams are equally matched. In hockey, attacks generate from breakaways and therefore if you defend well, you create more counterattacks. Germany failed here for most parts of the first half.
The relentless Aussie attacks pinned the German defence to such an extent that the defending world champions could not get their act together even on counterattacks. And then the sixth minute field goal put the Australians right on top. In big games, an early goal sets the trend of a contest.
Germany chased leather for most parts of the first half. When you run without the ball on synthetic grass, you are drained both mentally and physically. That’s what happened to the Germans. They were having “withdrawal symptoms” in the first session and hence their normally flawless game in the preparatory zone was riddled with errors.
Germany came out stronger in the second half. They attacked better but the Aussies defended equally well and created the counterattacks. Forget the scoreline, every second of the final was a treat for the amazing turnout in a final where India weren’t playing!
The Australians, despite having one man injured, had enough in the tank to protect their slender lead till the last. Ric Charlesworth’s tactics paid off well, but no matter how good is your coach, it boils down to the intensity and the conviction level of the players. On Saturday night, the Aussies were certainly superior.
The Netherlands won the third spot, with a come-from-behind 4-3 win against England. The result is testimony to the finishing prowess of the Dutch team. England’s performance had been on the wane after their first four wins at the group stage. The weather also seemed to get to them.
The difference between the top five sides of the world is so little that even a small mistake makes a huge difference. That’s what happened to both England and Germany. As they say, there is many a slip between lip and the cup. But at the end of the day, good hockey was the winner and it could not have been better than this.
(Two-time Olympic skipper Pargat Singh covered the World Cup exclusively for www.espnstar.com)
Aussie aggression vs German maturity
Our experts can't be 'yes' men
Another sad day for Asian hockey
Thakur must take extra workload
Powered by Disqus
Join us on Facebook