Hockey World Cup 2018: India vs Netherlands - 5 talking points

The Netherlands will play Australia in the semifinal
The Netherlands will play Australia in the semifinal

Manpreet Singh almost tumbled over, as he made one last desperate surge with less than a minute remaining on the clock, at the end of a pulsating last quarter of a truly epic quarter-final.

The captain lunged forward using every ounce of available adrenaline after what had been an intense and energy-sapping fifty-nine minutes, as he attempted to deliver an assist to Lalit who overran the ball by a split-second, taking the pass on his foot instead of the outstretched stick.

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Manpreet's final sprint got the crowd to their feet but the last glimmer of hope soon faded as thousands of Indian supporters at the Kalinga Stadium - and those watching the action at home, shook their heads in collective disbelief as, for the umpteenth time, the Indian men's hockey team failed to conquer, after promising much.

It was a heroic effort, on an evening when the contest could have gone either way. Both sides erred at crucial times but the Dutch kept their head in the vital final quarter while the Indians made a couple of fatal errors that will continue to haunt them for a long time to come.

We take a look at 5 factors that may have influenced the final outcome of the match that ended with a 2-1 scoreline in favor of The Netherlands with inputs from Jude Felix, Ashish Ballal, and Siegfried Aikman.


#5 PC conversions in crunch situations separate the men from the boys

In an earlier interview with Sportskeeda, India's Analytical Coach Chris Ciriello had clearly emphasized that the true test for a drag-flicker is to convert the PCs when a team is trailing and in dire need of a goal.

"Under pressure is when you stand out. It is easy to be able to score goals when you are already 2-0 or 3-0 up - but it is the one goal you have to fight for when you are down."

The ace drag-flicker who loved scoring PC hattricks in big finals, having done so in the World Cup final of 2014 and the Commonwealth Games final the same year, went on to say that there is a need for drag-flickers to become unpredictable in the big games to offset the best-laid plans of the opposition defence.

"The most important thing is that we need to become unpredictable - but most of the time, we are too predictable. It is human nature, under pressure, you go back to doing what you are most comfortable doing. So, we do need to have more variety."

While the Indians did score early with a PC against the Dutch, a golden chance presented itself yet again with five minutes left on the clock.

It was just the moment when the Indians should ideally have engineered a well-practiced slick variation, and questions will remain as to why the hosts failed to surprise the Dutch even after months of preparation with their short corners.

#4 Vulnerability in big-match situations proven beyond doubt

India v Netherlands - FIH Men's Hockey World Cup: Quarter Final
India needs to handle big-match pressure in a better way

To put things into perspective, it may be worthwhile to rewind a wee bit and remember for a moment the utterly-forgettable semifinal of the Asian Games.

The same Indian side which had captured the imagination of fans worldwide by successfully challenging the best teams in the world at the Champions Trophy failed to overcome Malaysia, who have now had a miserable World Cup, just about managing to avoid the wooden spoon.

The Indians were so much under the Malaysian spell that they were uncharacteristically cautious, and played out a goalless draw against a somewhat depleted Malaysian team at the Asian Champions Trophy.

Amit Rohidas made a couple of crucial errors in the quarterfinals, but the Sundargarh lad has never hesitated to put his body on the line for team and country, and it was largely due to his efforts that the Indians have successfully defended several PCs at Bhubaneswar.

Amit was penalized as he charged down before he should have after the Dutch were about to take a PC, and Mink van der Weeden found the back of the net as the Indians had to defend with one runner less.

A disastrous yellow card for an obstruction soon followed, and the Indian defender had to leave the pitch for ten minutes with his team trailing by a goal at the end of the last quarter.

Incidents, such as these, have now become routine for the Indians especially in the knockouts.

Manpreet's crucial miss at the goalmouth which could have well have earned India a gold in the Champions Trophy, and a disastrous wrong pass which resulted in New Zealand's second goal in the Commonwealth Games semifinal, are proof enough that the Indians, as a team, are vulnerable under pressure and the loss against the Dutch has highlighted an age-old issue.

#3 Did the Indians attempt to play to the galleries?

India v Netherlands - FIH Men's Hockey World Cup: Quarter Final

The Indians may have been carried away by the chanting in the crowd

Playing in the midst of a vociferous home crowd can be a boon or a bane, depending on the manner in which the hosts utilize the support.

Sticking to the game plan, however, can be pretty tough for a young team being spurred on from the stands - especially when the loudest cheers emanate when a player displays his spectacular stick skills.

The reactions of the partisan crowd at the Kalinga Stadium fluctuated between deafening roars when the Indians chose to sprint ahead and then descended into a sudden eerie silence whenever the opposition scored a goal.

Loick Luypaert's opening goal in the match against Belgium and Floris van Son's equalizer for Canada were greeted with a mournful hush, and it did, no doubt, require a high level of maturity to remain unaffected by the mood of the spectators.

FIH master-coach Siegfried Aikman was in the stands at Bhubaneswar and told Sportskeeda after the match that the Indians, who had hitherto remained unaffected by the chants of the crowds in the pool matches, seemed to be playing to the galleries in the quarterfinal.

"The chants of 'India, India - 'India Jeethega' were followed by excited screaming when the Indian players were dribbling forward. It made the players unconsciously start dribbling."

"The crowd only cheered when the players were dribbling - and stopped directly when the ball was lost. The players tried to give the crowd what they wanted. Due to that, they started dribbling. The only question is - if that is what we really want, and if it fits the game plan or the situation on the pitch."

While the crowd can hardly be blamed for doing all they could to inspire the team they love, a rather inexperienced Indian side may well be wiser from the experience the next time around.

#2 Holland outdoes India strategically

India v Netherlands - FIH Men's Hockey World Cup: Quarter Final

The Indians got a lot of their moves wrong

Jude Felix, coach of the Indian junior side has consistently pointed out that in spite of the positive results in the pool stages, the Indians were underperforming on the pitch.

The former India captain emphasized the same after the quarterfinals, stressing that the Indians have not been playing constructive hockey.

"I remember telling you that they did not play constructive hockey. You need to have set moves, considering that we spend so much time in training camps."

Aikman was of the opinion that India's excessive dribbling helped the Dutch

"When India was dribbling, Holland was closing the passing lines, and then put pressure on the ball carrier to create a 1 versus 2 (1 attacker versus 2 defenders type situations.)"

"Due to that, India could not find the right passes. When Holland had the ball, they avoided 1-1 situations and tried to create at least 2-1 (2 attackers versus 1 defender type situations). They kept passing or ran with the ball but did not tackle".

Former India goalkeeper Ashish Ballal said both sides played a scrappy game but the Indian strikers - and Akasheep, failed to click on the day.

"It was a scrappy game - Akashdeep and the forwards were a disappointment. The midfield and forwards were not in sync."

#1 Did bad umpiring rob India of a win?

India v Netherlands - FIH Men's Hockey World Cup: Quarter Final

The Indians in a huddle after the loss

Indian coach Harendra Singh stated after the match that bad umpiring contributed, in no small measure, to India's quarterfinal loss just as it did at the Asian Games.

Harendra was of the opinion that the cards handed out to the Indians - including a ten-minute yellow to Amit Rohidas in the final quarter was a tad unfair considering that the Dutch players were not penalized for similar offences.

Manpreet Singh had been pulled up for a body obstruction in the tense shootout of the Asian Games semifinal which the Indians lost, and Harendra lashed out at the poor standard of umpiring that he says has affected the Indian team.

Dutch coach Max Caldas, however, feels that his boys played consistently in a close match as he told Sportskeeda after the match.

"Close game - very intense. I think, we played a very consistent game throughout."

The Dutch, incidentally. were denied a place in the final of the Champions Trophy, as Jeroen Hertzberger's goal against the Indians had been disallowed under controversial circumstances

Ashish Ballal backed Harendra Singh as he summed up the match for Sportskeeda.

"Overall, a very disappointing game for the spectators. I feel we missed a golden opportunity with the support of the home crowd due to a mental seizure from a few of the boys. A couple of poor decisions went against us."

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Edited by Amar Anand