Master strategists plan mind games

It will be a battle of master strategists as the Champions Trophy hockey tournament gets underway tomorrow. More than anything else, this to...

It will be a battle of master strategists as the Champions Trophy hockey tournament gets underway tomorrow. More than anything else, this tournament will be won on tactics and mind games, thanks in no small measure to four of the world8217;s most reputed coaches pacing around the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium here 8212; Holland8217;s Roelant Oltmans, Germany8217;s Peter Bernhard, Spain8217;s Mauritz Hendriks and Australia8217;s Barry Dancer.

They8217;re household names for hockey8217;s pilgrims.

For the uninitiated, Bernhard guided Germany to their first win at the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, three seasons ago. Hendirks was the man responsible for painstakingly, and successfully, strategising Spain8217;s maiden Champions Trophy triumph last year. And though the silverware has eluded Oltmans 8211; he even had a 10-month stint with Pakistan8217;s national team 8211; for some time now, the Dutch star was the architect of Holland8217;s Olympic triumph at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Dancer, meanwhile, has the distinction of guiding his team to the Athens Gold earlier this year besides grabbing a second place in the eight-nation Rabo Bank Tournament in Holland recently. No wonder then that each one is playing his cards close to his chest. 8220;Each match is a final,8221; was all Oltmans, who also has the distinction of guiding the Dutch women8217;s team to their maiden World Cup title in 1990, would say.

8220;You cannot take any team lightly. This tournament features the top six hockey teams of the world.8221;

The teams are relatively young, as in the case of Germany and Spain. Hendriks says the Champions Trophy is an 8220;ideal8221; platform to 8220;blood youngsters8221;. 8220;You can8217;t expect youngsters to deliver at the World Cup,8221; he said. 8220;Champions8217; Trophy, on the other hand, is a unique tournament. It8217;s a big tournament, but it gives a coach the liberty to experiment.8221;

Germany, who have Tibor Welssenborn, and the vast experience of Timo Wess, also have names like Philip Witte 21 and Sebastian Draguhn 21 who have played only nine and 25 matches and are yet to come to terms with international hockey. Similar is case with 17-year-old India forward C. Raja. He looks set to make his international debut for India seniors when they take on Spain tomorrow.

The Tamil Nadu lad had been very impressive during the junior World Cup. Bernhard, who is without the services of eight of his players-some injured-who formed the Olympic squad, is upbeat nevertheless, saying he8217;s a firm believer of change and innovation. 8220;It8217;s a challenge to make a new team, a team of youngsters, to ideate, to improvise. Everyday is a learning process for us,8221; he said.

Emmerling ruled out

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Germany8217;s Bjoern Emmerling, who had turned out for the World XI during the Earthquake relief Charity match against a combined Indo-Pak team, has been ruled out of the tournament.

8220;He Bjoern injured his knee during the benefit match and he will be going back home,8221; confirmed German coach Bernhard Peters. The 30-year-old midfielder who has 233 internationals under his belt, will be placed youngster Moritz Furste. Germany take on Australia in the opener today. The others who are out injured are Philip Crone captain of the Champions Trophy team last year Florian Keller and Eike Duckwitz.