KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has decided not to put any kind of pressure on the national junior players, as no target has been set for the upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC).
However, according to national junior coach I. Vikneswaran, he does not want to finish last either.
Vikneswaran emphasised that he would rather the players – who have yet to compete in any tournament as a team this year – focus on giving their best, both technically and tactically, so he can evaluate them ahead of the Asia Junior Cup (AJC) in Oman next month.
The AJC will serve as a qualifier for the Junior World Cup, where six out of ten teams will qualify.
“It’s important to understand that the AJC is not far away – just over a month – so we need to be careful in how we prepare the team as we progress. Obviously, the pinnacle for these players is the AJC.
“We (MHC) have our own target for the SOJC, but we don’t want to put the players under unnecessary pressure,” said Vikneswaran after announcing a 20-member squad for the tournament, scheduled for October 19 to 26.
Vikneswaran also noted that the Malaysian team will start as underdogs, especially against teams like Australia, India, and Japan, who have more players with senior team experience.
“We face a huge challenge, but finishing last is not our aim. We want to see synergy and teamwork to achieve the best results.
“Managing match pressure is tough enough; we don’t want to add any more pressure on the players.
“The positive pressure we want is for them to play each match with quality and achieve respectable results.
“We’re looking for game quality, particularly when playing against teams like Australia, India, and Japan, who have junior players already competing at the senior level and are likely to replace their Olympic team members.
“To achieve high quality, we must focus on the process and what is within our control.
“Everything we’ve worked on in the past month of training must be reflected on the field. This is crucial for evaluating the players because, if the process is right, it will be translated into goals,” Vikneswaran added.
Apart from Malaysia, India, Australia, and Japan, New Zealand and Great Britain will also compete in the 12th edition of the SOJC.
On a separate note, Vikneswaran said that Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas, the newly appointed assistant head coach for the national team, has trained with the junior squad for three sessions so far.
Abbas will join the team in Johor as assistant coach.
Also present at the press conference today was MHC chief executive officer (CEO) V. Jayanandhan and vice president Ganesan Shanmugam, who is also the team manager for the SOJC. – October 10, 2024