KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey assistant coach Sukri Abdul Mutalib aims to emulate his mentor Paul Lissek’s coaching style and philosophy for the Speedy Tigers.
Lissek, who is well known globally for his tactics in the modern era of the game, previously coached the Speedy Tigers from 1998 to 2003.
The 76-year-old German went on to nurture several players who became valuable assets for the national team over the years, such as the late Chua Boon Huat, Marhan Jalil, and Muhammad Razie Abdul Rahim.
Lissek also guided Germany to an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and secured three European Championship titles (1991, 1995, and 1999).
Speaking to Scoop, Sukri aims to recreate the legacy of Lissek by finding and nurturing players who deserve the opportunity to represent the national team.
A total of 46 players were selected by head coach Sarjit Singh to join the selection camp from the recently concluded Malaysia Hockey League, which runs from March 19 to the 31st.
On April 1, the players will be narrowed down to 30 to begin preparation for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Nations Cup in May.
“Without coach Lissek, I’m nothing. He was the one who identified me when I was a 16-year-old boy and moulded me into what I am. It’s my job now to continue his legacy in whatever I do, especially in guiding the young players on the right path so that they don’t go astray.
“I have huge respect for coach Lissek. He was a coach with loads of experience. To this day, I keep in touch with him as I’m a person who will never forget my roots and the people who believed in me while others doubted.
“Coach Lissek taught me that in order for me to be a top-class coach, I need to have variations in our arsenal so that I can also make my players more versatile.
“I have also learned from him on how to do match analysis as he was one of the earliest coaches in Malaysia to emphasise the importance of analysing our opponents’ pros and cons via statistics.
“Establishing a strong foundation among the youngsters and ensuring that the players respect us as coaches is very important.
“For that, a coach has to have a strong personality and should not give room for nonsense, and these are some of the characteristics that I have learned from Lissek, which I will be hoping to implement in the team together with coach Sarjit,” said Sukri when contacted.
Known for his midfield prowess on the turf, Sukri made his international debut against China in 2003 and went on to make over 330 appearances for the Speedy Tigers.
The 38-year-old was a two-time Sultan Azlan Shah silver medalist and also won silver at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Sukri also reiterated that he and Sarjit will seek Lissek’s advice whenever necessary to enhance the national team’s performance.
“Coach Sarjit is a friend of Lissek, and we both look up to him so much, especially his strictness in establishing players with strong mentalities. We need to bring back that mentality in the current era of hockey in our country.
“Though I’m now the assistant and Sarjit being the head coach, we both don’t have any ego. We are like an open book that is always open and ready to learn from anyone for the betterment of the Speedy Tigers.
“We have both agreed that we will never think twice about getting advice from coach Lissek via calls and meetings when it’s needed,” Sukri added.
In addition to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Nations Cup in Poland, Sarjit’s team will also participate in the Asian Champions Trophy in Inner Mongolia, China, scheduled to take place from September 8 to 17.
The Speedy Tigers are currently ranked 13th in the world, with 1,828.27 points. – March 29, 2024