Success or failure does not depict the playing style of a team: Hockey News
Over the recent appointment of India’s national hockey coach, Australia’s Michael Nobbs, the former team manager M. M. Somaiya today, July 2, backed the federation’s fair decision.
He further commented, “Nobbs is a trained coach. Most Indian coaches, including me, depend on playing experience, which is different from players learning under trained coaches.”
According to the former Olympian, each nation has a particular style of play that later becomes the team’s recognition. This style consists of the fitness and stamina and some other similar factors.
When looking upon the Australian team, the team used to be very violent and offensive in the 1980s and 1990s, as compared to the European nations that are more defensive and unpredictable.
With the passage of time, the Australian side has adopted a blend of both the European and Asian game strategy that has become more exhilarating and effective.
As said by Somaiya, the Australians have now inducted a more style into their game as a value-addition to their aggressive playing approach, carrying both the things along very well.
However, according to Somaiya, it is not just the playing style that determines a team’s success or failure, but there are few other factors contributing towards the team’s performance.
He commented, “Australia is on top of the game due to various aspects apart from style of play. We need to choose a style which suits us. The way the Australians play is the closest to how we play hockey.”
Considering this aspect of the team, Somaiya supports the federations’ decision that choosing Nobbs for the job seems to be right in this context.
According to him, the purpose of appointing Nobbs is not to make the Indian team play like the Australians. He concluded his talk by saying that success depends upon how well the team absorbs in terms of learning and improving their performance. Moreover, the execution of the set objectives will also need attention.
In addition to the above, Somaiya also laid stress over the importance of the acquaintance of the team’s players and the management with Nobbs.
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