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.