Men's Hockey Pro League 2020: 3 teams with the best defence

#2 The Netherlands

Netherlands v Great Britain - Men's FIH Field Hockey Pro League 3rd/4th Playoff

After a 1-6 loss to Australia in the final of the 2014 World Cup, the Dutch have transformed themselves into an attacking powerhouse but the defence continues to be as strong as ever.

Sander Baart was born in Belgium but has been the mainstay of the Netherlands defence for well over a decade now while Lars Balk, Glenn Schuurman, and Joep de Mol have a gift for keeping the best strikers in the world at bay.

At the Champions Trophy in Breda, the Dutch conceded just 7 goals in 5 matches - only India defended better with 6 goals against - while at the World Cup in 2018, the men at the back did well to ensure their side conceded only 8 goals in 7 matches en route to winning the silver medal.

It may well have been raining goals in the inaugural edition of the Pro League, but Max Caldas' side ended up with 38 goals against in 16 matches and were at their best at the EuroNations Cup as well.

Getting past the Dutch defence will be quite a challenge for all the teams in the Pro League when the 2020 edition gets underway in January.

About the author

Subhashish has been an Indian sports journalist at Sportskeeda since 2017. He primarily covers hockey along with other Indian Sports, and endeavors to bridge the coverage gap between the multitude of Indian sports and cricket via his articles. Subhashish’s interest in Indian sports peaked after watching a few hockey and football matches live during his childhood days, and has also played Hockey, Football, Table Tennis, Badminton at school and college level.

As a journalist, he covered every single Indian hockey match at the 2018 & 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2018 & 2023 Asian Games, 2018 Women's World Cup, 2018 & 2023 Men’s World Cup and the 2021 Olympics. An interview specialist, he has conducted over 100 interviews with the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey team, and has also been part of the UK-based DesiSportsCast Podcast.

Subhashish’s favorite Indian athlete is Vandana Katariya for her relentlessness and never-say-die attitude. For him, India men's hockey team's 7-1 win over Pakistan in 2017 Hockey World League semis on the same day as India men's cricket team's loss to the same opponent in the Champions Trophy final is an iconic moment in Indian Sports history.

When not writing, he likes to spend his free time blogging, singing, jogging, and trekking.

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Edited by Prasen Moudgal