Kais al Saadi is the Head Coach to the German national team. Since taking over the reins in November 2019, the former coach to the German women's national indoor squad, has been shaping a team that plays fast, controlled attacking hockey while maintaining a strong and disciplined defence. The German team’s performance against the Netherlands in the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier in March sent a very clear message that Germany are on track for a strong showing in all competitions this year.
We caught up with al Saadi at the end of a long trip from Germany to Argentina. The German men’s national team will face Argentina in two FIH Hockey Pro League matches in Buenos Aires on 3 and 4 April.
Following two exceptional games against the Netherlands, what are you looking for from the team against Argentina?
Kais al Saadi: We were obviously very happy with our team performance against the Netherlands but there is lots of room for improvement and it was just a snapshot of this phase. We will keep on working, especially the penalty corner conversion – that was poor. We were also not happy with our performance against the high press, particularly in the second game. These are things to look at.
What have you identified as the main strengths of Argentina and how will you counter these?
Kais Al Saadi: Argentina are obviously the reigning Olympic champions and therefore they have many strengths. It has always been tough to play them, due to their physical approach and the aggressiveness, which is very high. It is always a challenge for us to play Argentina and we will have to show great unity and a good team defence performance if we are to stop the very fast and skilful attackers they have [within their ranks].
How will you set about keeping the momentum going over the next few months?
Kais Al Saadi: Keeping the momentum will be crucial for us, especially during this situation, which hasn’t been easy for anyone around the world right now. We are executing a de-centralied system so I didn’t really see the team since Amstelveen [where Germany played the Netherlands in the FIH Hockey Pro League], so I will be starting again, not totally from scratch, but that is okay. I will be looking to push the team even further.
What are the key outcomes – apart from two victories – that you would like to get from these next two matches?
Kais Al Saadi: Our main priorities for this trip to Argentina are, number one, getting everybody safely to Buenos Aires and back, and secondly, to see how deep the quality in the group really is. I will be missing quite a few very experienced players who are in action for their team in the upcoming EuroHockey League. So we will be bringing in fresh blood, a few young players, not too experienced but very talented, very skilled but they have yet to prove they can fit in this campaign and this group. On the other hand, I expect my more experienced players to lead them, and generate a great team atmosphere where good team performances can be built.
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