Caution should be the buzzword

Now let us look at what is in store for us: Not having ever won an Olympic gold they are really hungry to do that more so in their own country. We can be sure that the crowd will support and cheer them on from the word go.Being a top-four finisher for over two decades, consistency is one of theteam’s hallmarks.

Their game is based on attack, constantly pressurising the opposition. Theywill come at us extremely hard in the first 10 minutes in each half and ifthey score a goal then they will do their utmost to double the lead.

Their superior fitness and speed in attack. Their ability to turn defenceinto attack instantly with accurate long penetrative balls from the defenceTheir supporting midfielders who are also capable of exploiting space on thetop of the circle and scoring when gaps are created by their strikers whorun behind the defence.

Their use of width in attack and the switch ball especially during counterattacks, thereby stretching the defence to the maximum Their ability toscore off half chances Jay Stacy’s direct penalty corner hits and PaulGudoin’s flick balls.

Their center-half, Brent Livermmore, although not in the same class in termsof skill as past maestro Warren Birmingham, has the ability to run foreverand is very quick in supporting their attack, thereby increasing the numberin attack. Many a time he will link up as an extra forward.

What we should do?
We must make them earn and fight for the ball by not committing softinfringements. We gave away naive penalty corners against Argentina. We mustlearn not to give away the penalty corner so easily. Although their style isbasically the same as ours we cannot play an open game. This could becatastrophic to us as they will overpower us with their physical superiority we will have to play a tight marking game. We should not give them toomuch space and close them down immediately after they receive the ball asthey have skillful ball players and extremely fleet-footed strikers. Againclose marking by our deep defence is essential especially when we are inattack. If our players are dispossessed inside the opposite 25 the counterthat will come will be like lightning, that’s why close marking is socritical.

Our team will have to watch for Stephen Davies because he has the uncannyknack of stealing behind the defence making himself available for thecounter ball. Our forwards will have to do a lot of re-tackling and doubleback when dispossessed. We will have to control the pace of the game andslow the game down, especially in the first 20 minutes and try and notconcede any early goals.

Their strength is attack but they do lack the same depth in defence. Theirdeep defenders do not catch man-to-man but permit you to receive the balland then try and dispossess you. We should not shy away from taking them onin a one versus one situation. We have the skill, speed and thrust so mustcapitalise on this. They have the tendency to push their defence up, tosupport the attack and close down the gap between attack and defence. Wemust exploit this by long overhead counter attack balls, into the spacebehind their defenders who have moved up. These balls should be picked up byour speedsters Dhanraj and Mukesh.

During penalty corner defence, Australia tends not to do a full charge outthe runners hold around the penalty spot and then react according to thesituation presented to them. They will cut out the slip or indirect passes,but permit the first direct hit as they are quite confident of Delletti inthe goal. Our rebound men should be ready to pounce on half chances.

All of them must know their responsibilities of whom to mark and when byzonal or man to man marking. This will ensure that we are never outnumberedin attack or defence. Numerical advantage is the first tactic that the westtries to accomplish as this forms the base of their game plans. Use theslide/diving tackle to the maximum especially when chasing a forward or fora common ball. Needless to say this should be done outside the 25 yard lineto avoid the giving away of penalty corners. All the best guys. Concentrateand psyche yourselves up to beat them in their own backyard.

The author is a National hockey selector and former coach