Graham Reid is not trying to change much, states Manpreet Singh
Manpreet Singh has asserted that the head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team Graham Reid is not trying to make a lot of changes in the way the team is playing. The skipper has also added that most of the coaches try to assess what they have and same is the case with the Australian.
Graham Reid was appointed at the helm of the Indian men’s hockey team in April this year and since then, India has played a two-match Test series in Australia and won the FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar. India had, earlier, gone into the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup without a chief coach after Harendra Singh’s exit following the poor show at the 2018 World Cup.
Manpreet has said that Australia’s Graham Reid had watched the Indian side before and is not trying to make too many changes with the team. India will play FIH Olympic Qualifiers later this year with an eye on the Tokyo Olympics which will be played next year.
"Graham has been watching India for some time. He's not trying to change much. He believes that our finishing and our defending have to improve," Manpreet told Sportsstar.
"Whenever a coach comes to India he tries to see what India's best qualities are and he wants to retain them. So far, we've never found it hard to adjust to any coach. Because coaches adapt to the team they have; they don't have one fixed style they impose on all teams. They always take their time and see what they have to do. It's the same with Graham."
Manpreet is of the belief that the Indian team has some quick forwards and said that Reid’s idea is to see the Indian players pass the ball to the forwards quickly. India will travel to Japan next month for the Tokyo Olympics Test event, which will be a good preparation for the team ahead of the qualifying matches.
"He sees that we are good at attacking and counter-attacking. We have quick forwards; so his idea is for us to move the ball forward as quickly as possible. The higher up the pitch we play, the better it is for us," the skipper explained.
"He's a friendly man. He talks to all of us. He spends time with us off the field too. I know it's a matter of qualifying for the Olympics but we shouldn't come under pressure. We just want to play our best hockey. If we are at our best, we can beat any team in the world. We are not worried about who our opponent is going to be. No matter who we play, we are confident we can win."
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