JOHOR BAHRU: The national junior squad’s failure to stick to plans contributed to the 4-7 loss to Great Britain in their fifth-eighth placing playoff match of the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) international hockey tournament here last night, according to the Young Tigers’ chief coach.
Muhamad Amin Rahim said this explained why his squad conceded many field goals in the match at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium “We drew up the best strategy for today’s (last night) match but in certain situations, players did not stick to the plan.
You could see that Great Britain scored many field goals. “In earlier matches, our opponents scored from penalty corners and field goals but it’s clear field goals were the norm tonight. We need to rectify this,” he said in a post-match press conference on Thursday night.
Muhamad Amin said this aspect especially defence would be given extra attention in the team’s preparations for the 2023 Junior World Cup in Bukit Jalil next month.
In the Junior World Cup, the Young Tigers, who are in Group A together with defending champions Argentina, Australia and Chile, have been set a quarterfinal target.
This is the second time Malaysia have been given the honour to host the tournament, after staging it in 1982, where they finished fourth.
On the seventh-eighth placing match against South Africa, Muhamad Amin said the players need to stay focused and play according to plan to avoid finishing last in the tournament. – BERNAMA
