Graham Reid is the India men’s national team Head Coach. His squad are on the verge of playing their first FIH Hockey Pro League match since they played Australia in February 2020. This time, the opponents are Argentina, and the matches will be played in the iconic Cernard Stadium in Buenos Aires on 10 and 11 April. We caught up with the Australian to talk about his plans and aspirations for the double header against the Olympic champions.
What are you looking for from the team when they line up against Argentina?
Graham Reid: “The biggest thing is getting back into the high level of competition that Pro League brings. I know it will be the same for Argentina. It is a great opportunity and as far as the team is concerned, we have just been to Germany and Belgium. That was a really important tour for us as it got our feet wet and now we are looking forward to playing Pro League again.”
What have you identified as the main strengths of Argentina and how will you counter these?
Graham Reid: “Argentina are a very good and very skilful team. They like counterattacking. They often will move the ball around deliberately ‘in and out’ to lull you into a false sense of security and then they will attack suddenly, win a penalty corner and you find you are 1-0 down. They are a very dangerous side. They have really good 3-D skills and we are hoping to counteract that with some good 3-D tackling. They are going to be difficult games against the Olympic champions on the other side of the world, but we are certainly looking forward to it.
How will you set about keeping the momentum going over the next few months in the lead up to the Olympic Games?
Graham Reid: “We have these two games in Argentina and then it is about trying to keep momentum going into the Olympics. We have six more FIH Hockey Pro League games against Germany, Great Britain and Spain later on in May. After that we will try to get some more competition and be ready to go in Tokyo.”
What are the key outcomes – apart from two victories – that you would like to get from these next two matches?
Graham Reid: “Of course, victorious results would be great, but I think the most important things for us is to get familiar with the way that we play. We will come up against different oppositions to test our theories but also to test the way we play and how we solve problems that other teams will bring to us. That learning – how to solve problems on the go – that is why we are looking forward to playing the Olympic champions, so we can get that extra high level of competition.”
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Photo Credit: Hockey India
