HOCKEY WORLD CUP | Time to buckle up for tougher games, says India men’s coach Craig Fulton

HOCKEY WORLD CUP Time to buckle up for tougher games, notes India men's coach Craig Fulton India's mixed start in the first Pool stage led to a second place finish behind England.

Key points

• While losing the other three with an aggregate scoreline of 4-15, india's recent meetings against these sides yielded just one 3-2 win over the Dutch.
• Lacking bite: While Harmanpreet's, left, form makes India a lethal PC outfit, the three goals from field play rank it ninth in the 16-team tournament.
• India's mixed start in the Pool stage led to a second place finish behind England.
• Fulton emphasised on getting the pressing right and its counterattacks with upcoming matches against two of the dangerous sides, Netherlands and Argentina.
• A deficient defensive structure and unforced errors leaving it open to transitions have proved costly.

Lacking bite: While Harmanpreet's, left, form makes India a lethal PC outfit, the three goals from field play rank it ninth in the 16-team tournament. Photo Credit: AP.

India head coach Craig Fulton has pressed his men to refocus ahead of what he calls a 'new tournament' in the second round of the men's World Cup, starting against Netherlands on Saturday.

India's mixed start in the Pool stage led to a second place finish behind England. It has left it needing two wins to offer itself a good chance of qualifying for the semifinals.

"We're a little bit behind the eight ball since we didn't take the three points through. But at this level as well, any team can beat any team, " Fulton informed The Hindu.

"That doesn't mean we're out. We have to take care of our two games. We'll just go one game at a time and let's see what happens."

For context, a deficient defensive structure and unforced errors leaving it open to transitions have proved costly. India has let in eight goals. It is the worst defensive record among the top eight teams left in the tournament.

It's a game that is steeped in history, where we need to take more structure into that game, and it obtained away from us a little bit.

But meanwhile, we played well offensively and then let them back in the game.Now, we have a totally different opposition, that if we offer them too numerous opportunities, yes, they will punish you.

"We're playing well going forward, and we need to keep improving on the defence and keeping the confidence in going forward. So the press, the counter, is where we need to just keep hammering, " remarked the South African.

On India's lack of field goals, Fulton remarked, It's a small composure. They play a certain way, and one team plays man-to-man, one team plays zonal. It puts seven players, eight players in the D.

"That's a different approach to playing if there were three in the D. We've obtained different aims for both teams, but meanwhile, we've obtained to implement our plan."

For now, HOCKEY WORLD CUP Time to buckle up for tougher games, says remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.