Following the matches against the Netherlands, what improvements in performance are you looking for in the next two matches?
Xavier Reckinger: The games against Holland were interesting. They provided me with a good measure of where we are at presently. Against the Netherlands it is always a good game because they are the best team in the world at the moment. They are European Champions, World Champions and past Olympic champions so it is always good to measure yourself against them. There were some good take-aways for us, especially offensively as I didn't think we were too good there. It is all relative. Our speed of execution, we need to lift the tempo a bit and in the offensive department there is some positioning play that we must adjust."
What are the main threats Argentina may pose to your team?
Xavier Reckinger: I am not so sure about the threats that Argentina will pose at this moment. It is hard in these times to know where everyone sits and how the teams are. Have they had players retire? I am not too sure. I think every team is focusing on themselves at the moment and their processes, that is what we are doing and that is what they are doing as well. Since Chappa (Carlos Retegui) has been there, they have played a very consistent style of hockey so I expect it to be the same but, on the other hand, I don't know, so it will be interesting to see what they throw at us and how we provide the answers to those challenges.
How confident are you that you are on track to peak at the right times this year?
Xavier Reckinger: The timing of the [Olympic] Games is very special. i don't think in the history of the Olympics, there has been an European Championship before. It's very interesting how teams will manage selection for the Olympics and the Euros. There will be teams that pick towards the Euros and teams that pick towards the Olympics. That is not an easy thing to do, because the two tournaments are very close together.
We made a plan and I am pretty confident that we are on the right track and we will be able to do it. But, to be honest, the challenge is not only for the Euros, it has been a challenge in the broader sense. We are going to Argentina without the Alster players because they have EHL commitments the same weekend. We have had to postpone FIH Hockey Pro League games two or three times, the [domestic] league is very important to us because it provides stability and consistency and that has to be finished. We have the league play-offs in May, and two days later we face Great Britain in Pro League, so that is another challenge. But I am very proud of how my players and staff are dealing with this. The work that has been put in from the players and staff is gigantic and we are on track to peak at the right time.
What are the key outcomes – apart from two victories – that you would like to get from these next two matches?
Xavier Reckinger: Like always, we debriefed the game against Holland and I want to see some improvements. I am confident we will do this as the [domestic] league is back so we have rhythm and consistency. The other thing will be that we go with players for whom this will be an opportunity to play against great opponents and to step up and meet the challenge. For the players, this is a great chance to play international games against a team of this quality."
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