A double win over the world number one team, Belgium, has put Netherlands men in a strong position going into the final matches of the FIH Pro League. The Dutch are now sitting third in the standings, ahead of Belgium on points but slightly below on percentage points.
Netherlands have three games left – starting on 14 June against Great Britain, then Argentina and Australia – and in such a tight contest, each and every game will count, with all those teams still capable of reaching the Grand Final.
Despite having just secured six points against the World Cup winners, Head Coach Max Caldas was in a cautious frame of mind as he contemplated the next few weeks.
“We try not to get carried away by a win or a loss. We don’t look at the league ladder but try to stay true to the way we said we would compete and behave at the beginning of the FIH Pro League. So, we always analyse our own performance first and that is what we keep on talking about before and after games.”
This long-term strategy for development included: exposing more players to the top level of international play, improving the competition within the ranks, being competitive while developing players and having a good balance between club hockey, commitments to the Dutch team and recovery time.”
Playing Pro League fixtures across the world, adapting to travel and crucial one-off matches has been a major learning point for all the teams. “Certainly, having to get ready for a game instead of “growing” in a tournament is among the many things the players have had to learn.”
But for the coaching staff and management, Caldas says that liaison between the domestic league clubs and the international set-up is something that must be deal with better in the future. “We have to communicate more frequently and better with the clubs regarding every player. We need to do a better job at that.”
For the next few months, it is expected that all thoughts will turn towards Tokyo. Caldas says the trick is in balancing what is happening now with where they would like to be in a few months time. “Of course we have Tokyo in our heads, especially when you talk about selections, but we like to live in the present with what we do. We like to have a good balance between what needs to be done and where do we want to end up.”
With just a few matches left but with six of the eight teams still in contention for a place at the finals, Caldas remains circumspect about whether the Netherlands will be competing on home turf at the Grand Final. “I am always confident in our boys, that will not change with or without the Final, but we understand that there are more than four teams that will have the chance to make it.”
If the recent performances by the Orange are anything to go by, Caldas and his squad will be joining the Netherlands women in Amstelveen in two and a half week’s time.
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