By Anand Philar, IANS,
Flair, flamboyance and individual skills best describe Spain’s hockey team that has often promised a lot but failed to deliver. Like India, whom them play March 4, Spain, finalists in 1971 and 1978, have been among the most inconsistent teams in the World Cup and whose performance has vacillated from the sublime to the ridiculous. Thus, it would take a brave man to put money on Spain winning the 12th World Cup. A better bet would be a top-four finish.
From India’s perspective, Spain’s track record is of little consequence as the focus would be on to secure full points with a victory, something that is not beyond the home team. India should keep a sharp eye on the stunning counter-attacks that has caught the best of defences on the wrong foot or by surprise.
In the recent years, Spain have added another dimension to their play in the form of their expertise at penalty corner play that is as potent as their forwardline where Pablo “Pol” Amat and Santi Freixa excel. The emergence of Xavier Ribas and Pau Quemada as quality drag-flick specialists has certainly strengthened the team that is justifiably eyeing the top spot.
For all its rich hockey heritage whose roots lie in Terrassa, outside Barcelona, the scene of the inaugural World Cup, Spain have disappointed more often than not. They came within whisker of success like when they reached the finals in 1996 and 2008 Olympics, and the 1971 and 1998 World Cup, but failed to win the gold medal. Conversely, they won the 2004 Champions Trophy and the 2005 European Championship.
In the 2006 World Cup, Spain appeared primed to take the top honours, but suffered a heart-breaking loss to Germany in the semi-finals after a penalty shootout to eventually finish third. The discerning believe that Spain are now ready to ascend the top step on the podium, but such sentiments do not always reflect ground reality.
Given Spain’s all-round strength, India face a difficult task and that is to put it mildly. Despite their reliance on individual play, the Spaniards are famed for their set-pieces marked by precise passing and ball rotation while allowing their forwards to slip into dangerous positions to launch counter-attacks. Their deep defence too is second to none and it will take a lot of smart play on part of Indian forwards to breach the Spanish wall.
The Indian midfield can expect a lot of pressure considering the clever off-the-ball running that the Spanish players indulge in. Thus, it would put premium on man-to-man marking that in turn entails high level of alertness and anticipation. In the past, Indian coaches have focused on intercepting the “feeder passes” that form the launch pad for attacks. The success rate, though, has been abysmal as India have lost both their World Cup matches to Spain.
By the time the two teams face each other, Spain would have played South Africa and Pakistan, and India would have known their fate after matches against Pakistan and Australia. Their results in the two opening games could well dictate their approach to this key match.
India perhaps would be better off to keep their strategy simple and that is to strike early and then consolidate the gains. Ball holding will also be critical to India’s chances.
Spain in World Cup (11 appearances): Second in 1971, 1998; third in 2006; fifth in 1973, 1978, 1986; eighth in 1975, 1990; ninth in 1994; 11th in 1982, 2002.
India in World Cup (11 appearances): Winners in 1975; 3rd in 1971; 2nd in 1973; sixth in 1978; fifth in 1982, 1994; 12th in 1986; 10th in 1990, 2002; ninth in 1998, 11th in 2006