Frederic Soyez has been head coach to the Spain men’s team since 2014. In that time the Frenchman, who played for his national indoor and outdoor teams, has led the team to success in the Belfius EuroHockey Championships with a silver medal in 2019.
In the first season of FIH Hockey Pro League action, Spain finished seventh of eight teams but, despite this, the Red Sticks won a lot of admirers for their high tempo play and attacking nous, which led to a number of high scoring and exciting matches.
Here, the Red Sticks’ coach offers his thoughts on the team’s encounter with Belgium as the FIH Pro League second season starts again after the break caused by the global pandemic.
This will be a tough encounter - how will you ask your team to counter the strengths of the Belgium team?
Frederic Soyez: “To be sure these will be very tough games for us but all matches at this level are very difficult and maybe even more so after a year without international matches. But we will approach this game like all the others. We be looking to play our best hockey over these two games.”
How important has the return to league action been when it comes to readiness for these fixtures?
Frederic Soyez:“We have had the chance to play our national league and to keep training together but now we need to play against [other national sides] to prepare for the European Championships and the Olympics.
What learning or development points are you hoping your team will gain from the next few FIH Hockey Pro League matches?
Frederic Soyez: “Against Belgium we want to regain our confidence in our systems. It will be important to perform at a high level. Belgium are a formidable team and we will have to play our best hockey if we want to win.”
What will count as a good outcome from these two games against the world number 1 side?
Frederic Soyez: “To be honest, it is difficult to set objectives, because we have come from a long time without games. But the guys have been training very well over the last weeks and we have to be ready for these two games.”
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