JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- National Juniors head coach I. Vikneswaran has come out fighting despite his team having lost their opening two matches in the 2024 Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) hockey tournament.
The coach is adamant that his men can prove their mettle when they take on India, who are sitting pretty at the top of the six-team standings, tomorrow.
"India have won their first two matches, so we have to come up with a plan. In this tournament, from what I see, just because the team is at the top, doesn't mean it will win all its matches.
"The same goes the other way around… just because we are at the bottom, it doesn't mean we will lose all our games. There are always opportunities available. The players must learn from the experience gained and never be complacent,” he told a post-match press conference after the Malaysia-Japan match at the Johor Hockey Stadium last night.
The National Juniors, also known as the Young Tigers, lost their opening match 3-2 to New Zealand before being hammered 4-1 by Japan and things will only get tougher tomorrow as they are down to face three-time SOJC champions India.
Vikneswaran, always looking on the bright side of things, said there were a few positives that he could take from their defeats to Japan and New Zealand, particularly when it comes to playing under pressure.
"This is our chance to see how we handle ourselves when we are in a pressure-cooker situation before the Junior World Cup qualifiers,” he said.
He also called on the Young Tigers to work harder and tighten up their game in certain areas, especially their penalty corner set pieces, if they are to bounce back against India.
Japan head coach Yoshihiro Anai, meanwhile, was purring with delight after watching his team bag their first three points with the 4-1 win over Malaysia.
"They were good at pressing and were very compact… just as we analysed…
"Our focus now shifts to the next game against Australia... so, we have to be prepared," he said.
-- BERNAMA
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