By IANS,
New Delhi: A veteran of two Olympics and four Champions Trophy gold medals, Dutch goalkeeper Guus Vogels wants to cap his glittering international career with a World Cup title here.
After 14 years on the international circuit, Vogels says the motivation to win a gold at the World Cup has kept him going.
“After this World Cup I will retire and I hope we win it. I have been playing international hockey for 14 years and I am the number one goalkeeper for 10 years, so finishing my career with a World Cup medal will be something great,” Vogels says.
The Netherlands won the World Cup thrice, the last at home in Utrecht in 1998. They were third in 2002 and seventh in 2006.
Vogels, who started his international career in 1996, was part of the Olympic gold medal winning squad in Atlanta and Sydney. A month shy of his 35th birthday, Vogels has been part of the team which enjoyed great success, but they slowly hit the downward spiral in the last couple of years.
“Yes, there has been some disappointments for the team in the last few years. We lost to Korea in the opening match of 2006 World Cup. In Beijing we lost in the semi finals.
“We have made some changes in the team and there are some new players. We played well in the Champions Trophy and that has given us confidence. Also, there is not much difference among the top teams.
“We have had good preparation. Our first aim would be to reach the semi finals. For that we have to play well in group matches. Korea and Germany would be the most difficult teams in our pool. Our first match is against Argentina and we would like to make a good start and improve from there on.
“We have players some good players in the team. Expert drag flicker Taeke Taekama is a player we can count on. The team is looking forward to the tournament.”
When asked about the two subcontinental teams, Vogels said that Pakistan would be tough opponents.
With Sohail Abbas back in the Pakistan team, Vogels feel they will be tough customers.
“Sohail is certainly one of the best in business. I have faced him a lot of times. He has been on the international scene for a long time and he has proved his worth. As you grow older you become smarter with experience. It’s always nice to play against good competitors like him.”
“Pakistan is very strong in counter-attacks. We need to make sure that we come up with
right tactics against them. We cannot allow their players much space.”
As for India, whom the Netherlands beat in the finals of the Punjab Gold Cup, Vogels said: “We played them a year and a half back so I cannot say much about them. They are a good opposition and I hope they perform well.
“The opening day match between India Pakistan will be an exciting game and I will be there to watch them playing.”
Vogels has seen the game evolve and feels that it has become faster.
“New rules have made the game more exciting, but a bit more difficult for goalkeepers. The game has become faster and that is the reason why we see more goals. For a goalkeeper it has become tougher.”
Vogels also says that the referral system would be handy to eliminate human errors.
“Like the Hawk eye in tennis the referrals have made the game precise and it has also preserved the purity of the game. It’s not possible for the umpires to see the match from every angle.
“It is good for the game, but it should be used in key moments. The teams need to be careful when to call for referrals because the pace of the game should not suffer.”
Vogels said that their team is happy with the security arrangements.
“The players have no complaints about the security. There is a threat wherever you
travel. For me its not something new, its similar like it was at the Olympics.”