Men's Hockey World Cup 2018: 5 teams with the best defence

#1 Germany

Tobias Hauke in action

For all those who believe that the Germans have underperformed over the last few years, a closer look at the statistics may suggest otherwise.

At the Rio Olympics, it was the Germans who were unbeaten in the group stages with 4 wins and a draw, and ended up at the top of the heap in Group B with 13 points ahead of the Netherlands and eventual gold-medalists Argentina (who, incidentally had just two wins and 8 points courtesy of a couple of draws.)

Yet, when Germany met Argentina in the semifinals, a stellar PC hattrick from the great Gonzalo Peillat, propelled the South Americans to the final, while the Germans had to eventually settle for bronze.

Irrespective of the result, the Germans have, arguably, the best defensive unit, simply because every single player possesses defensive skills, and do not hesitate to fall back with the same lightning speed with which they advance.

The Indians are recently playing a similar brand of total hockey and the reason for the change is hardly surprising.

Even before taking over the men's side, coach Harendra Singh, who was the Indian eves at Gold Coast, mentioned, in an interview to Sportskeeda what the concept of defence meant to him.

"What is defence? When we don't have the ball, all ten players must try and regain possession within a certain timeframe to put the opponent on the back foot. All ten players have to defend when required.

"Take the example of Germany. All their players know how to defend and attack."

Three-time Olympian and two-time World Cupper Tobias Hauke will be hoping that his third World Cup, at Bhubaneswar, will conclude with a third title for the Germans who won gold in 2002 and 2006.

Hauke, essentially, a midfielder who often takes up defensive positions, was awarded the Player of the Year Award by the FIH in 2013 for his brilliant performances and continues to excel at the highest level.

While elder brother Mats does the work up front, Tom Grambusch will be on hand to provide able support to Hauke, in the German circle, along with the highly-experienced veterans Martin Haner, Matthias Muller, and Lukas Windfeder.