Josep or Pepe Romeu is a long-standing member of the Spanish men’s national team. With 139 caps to his name, the athlete was part of the squad that won silver at the 2019 EuroHockey Championships, a target the team would love to emulate at this year’s competition.
With Spain sitting in ninth positioning the FIH Hockey Pro League, the Red Sticks would love to finish their campaign with some winning results and a shift up the table but, as the defender explained, a more important factor than points is the way the team performs.
“We see these Pro League matches as a preparation for the EuroHockey Championships and Olympic Games, so we have to try new things, such as new outlets and new defensive systems. We are also playing with some new, young guys who are really good. It is important for us to get used to playing together and get into a good shape for everything that is coming.”
Spain’s Pro league schedule has been hit hard by the pandemic. The last time the team played was in February, when they suffered two close defeats at the hands of Belgium. Last month they should have played Australia and India.Romeuexplains they have just had to accept the situation and pour their energy into training.
“It is always important to compete against the top teams. It has been difficult because we were expecting to play Australia and India, so we have been doing a lot of physical training and preparing as well as we can for matches that we can play.”
Looking ahead to the competition this weekend,Romeuis expecting two tough matches.
“Great Britain are in good shape now. They beat Germany twice so it will be a tough couple of games. They are really intense and play a very physical game. They play at 100 per cent during the whole game, they never let that intensity slide and they have some excellent players, such as Phil Roper and Sam Ward, so they can score easily. Also, their defence, especially at penalty corners, is very good.
“We are trying to be in good physical shape for the matches. They are two consecutive matches and it is not easy to play two games in two days, so we are putting together a good plan to do well in both games.”
Romeu’s excitement at the prospect of international hockey is palpable. At the Lee Valley Hockey Stadium in London there will be cameras and a small crowd. He says this is an important factor both for the players but also for the professionalism of the sport.
“Playing international games is the best way to prepare. We love to play in the FIH Pro League with the cameras and crowds because it makes hockey more professional.”
The Spanish national men’s team take on Great Britain on the 22 and 23 May at the Lee Valley Hockey Stadium in London.
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