‘People don’t always know the real story’: Sjoerd Marijne answers questions about exit ahead of World Cup

NEW DELHI: Indian women’s hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne has defended his decision to take leave shortly before the FIH World Cup, insisting that his absence did not jeopardize the team’s preparations and that he remained closely involved in the build-up to the tournament.Marijne’s decision to take leave ahead of the World Cup came under scrutiny in a section of the media when legendary former India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh questioned whether the team could perform at its best when its head coach was away during the final phase of the build-up.India eventually finished fifth in the World Cup and put together a respectable campaign after entering the tournament with several problems, including injuries.However, Marijne said his departure did not mean he was disconnected from the team or unaware of what was happening during the pre-season.“I saw every practice, match, meetings and had personal contact with the players, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know what was going on,” Marijne told PTI in an interview after India’s World Cup campaign.“People don’t always know the real story and that’s fine as long as we know what we did and discussed everything. Also the staff who were there helping them prepare for the World Cup,” he said.

Marijne wants India to keep raising the bar

Marijne, who returned to his second post as India coach in January, said fifth place should not become the team’s ceiling. Instead, he wants the players to retain the hunger that helped transform them from an injury-ravaged side into a competitive World Cup unit.“It’s been a journey with many ups and downs and we have to keep going, but that’s only possible if we stay hungry and want to get the best out of ourselves and don’t take things lightly.“Constantly raise the bar and expect more and more from the team. Growth is a daily process as well as staying connected to each other,” he said.The Dutchman said his second stint started differently than his first as the current group already had the experience of playing against higher-ranked teams and competing in major tournaments.“This is a team that has players who have already played against high-ranking teams and were experienced in playing big tournaments. We didn’t have that at the beginning, and these girls also knew me, how I train and prepare the team. They already shared it with the younger girls. That made it easy to get off to a fast start,” he said.

From “I” to “we”: Marijne focuses on team identity

Marijne identified rebuilding the team’s collective identity as his immediate priority after returning to the lineup.“The main challenge was to rebuild the team and change the mindset to ‘we’ instead of ‘me’ and bring discipline back,” he said.He also believes he has returned to India as a more mature coach after spending years working with and managing other coaches.“I have been to India, I know better how things work and what works in coaching the Indian team. I have guided the coaches in the last few years and that also helped me to reflect on myself and become a better coach,” he said.The coach hopes that the team’s performance at the World Cup can also generate more interest in women’s hockey in India.“If I see the reactions, people are positive and watching the team. I hope we inspire young kids to start playing hockey as well,” he said.

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