Muristek
Indervir Grewal
Chandigarh, March 15
The two women's FIH Pro League matches between India and Germany followed a similar script in Bhubaneswar over the weekend. Both matches ended 1-1 in regulation time, and the team that scored first went on to lose in the shootout.
India had a great start to the tie, scoring within four minutes of the first game. Though they lost in the tiebreaker on Saturday, they ended the two-game fixture on a high by winning the shootout 3-0 on Sunday.
Even though the teams shared the spoils, earning three points each from two games, Germany would return home as the happier side. With an eye on the upcoming women's Junior World Cup, Germany had fielded their under-21 side against India.
Facing a young and inexperienced side, the hosts would be disappointed to not get more out of the tie. India came into the contest as the clear favourites, going by their impressive performances against a more experienced and stronger opposition — Spain — two weeks ago.
However, India did not show that same intensity against Germany, especially in the first game. On top of that, India lacked composure with the ball. Despite the huge gap in experience levels, it was Germany who showed more maturity and better decision-making with the ball. They kept their game simple with quick passes. They held possession better, which also helped them conserve energy in the Bhubaneswar heat.
Better on ball
Surprisingly, the hosts gave away possession cheaply with wayward passes, and ended up chasing the ball for longer periods. In the first game, Germany had 59 percent of the possession.
India's chief coach Janneke Schopman stressed on the need for being "better on the ball". "We need to have the ball more," Schopman said in the halftime interview during the first match. "We also need to be dangerous in the circle, we are too far outside," she added.
The German defence deserves credit for pushing India back. The visitors' tight player marking denied India space, especially around the semicircle. And India, rather than patiently moving the ball around to create openings, tried to force the passes through, but without much success.
India came into the second match a much improved side. They held more meaningful possession. They were more aggressive with their defensive press. It was one aspect in which the Germans struggled in the both the games — showing their inexperience, they made serious errors when India pressed high.
"We have a lot of the ball, we are moving the ball well. I think in the end phase we have a bit of a problem," Schopman said at halftime during the second match. "I am happy with our press. Hopefully we can capitalise on some of our opportunities," she added.
However, the lack of composure in the final third let India down. Even when Germany's players — who were not used to the pace at the senior level — seemed to be getting tired, India failed to take advantage.
Schopman, though, was happy with the team's progress. "Our focus is to improve and do better in every game, which I think we are doing," she said.