"We didn't play our own game in the Asian Games and that hurt the team" - Janneke Schopman assesses India women's Champions Trophy triumph

India women hockey head coach Janneke Schopman has admitted that the team was hurt by the Asian Games disappointment but was determined to bounce back to win gold in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi.

A month after India lost to host and eventual champions China 4-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Games, Savita Punia’s side remained unbeaten in seven matches in the Champions Trophy played on home soil in Ranchi.

Addressing a press conference following India’s victorious campaign, Janneke Schopman remarked that the team played with their strengths, which was something missing in the Asian Games.

“I think we didn't play our own game in the Asian Games, and that hurt me and that hurt the team. I think in Asian Champions Trophy, you saw India women back and they're back and they bring themselves to the game,” Schopman said.

“We play to our strengths, we play to our DNA, we play to our principles, and I know we can play a good game, and it doesn't necessarily mean we win. I think the Korea semifinal was an interesting game for me because we beat them so heavily the game before that you never know what will happen,” she added.

The Indian women's team regained its personal best-ever ranking of sixth after the Champions Trophy triumph. They will play in the Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi in January next year, where they will face Germany, New Zealand, USA, Italy, Japan, Chile, and the Czech Republic in one of the two groups.

“I think we made a great first step. I think we performed quite well and it gives us the confidence that we're back on track and that we need to keep doing the same things moving towards the Olympic qualifiers,” the Dutch-born coach said.

Schopman further stressed areas where the team needs improvement, pointing out the defense particularly, even though the team conceded just three goals in the entire tournament.

“In the Asian Champions Trophy, I think a lot of things went well. There are still many areas that we can improve. I think we've got too many cards in the tournament, unnecessary at times. The use of our referral we can improve, although that was quite good in the final,” the 46-year-old coach said.

During India's 7-1 thumping win against Thailand in their tournament opener, five of the six chances were wasted to convert penalty corner. The coach sought improvement in both attack and defense when it came to penalty corners.

“Our penalty corner defense, our penalty corner attack, our ongoing areas of attention. I think, yeah, defending is improving, but still something we have to really keep focusing on. And similarly with our attacking style of play, we play against a lot of teams that defend with 11 in their own 25. And we have to get better in creating opportunities playing against defense," she noted.

“But what I was really happy with there is that we didn't play well necessarily, but we were able to play and there was no one that was hiding. And in the past, we would have players that didn't perform so well who would then kind of say, look, don't give me the ball or whatever. But what I was really, really pleased with that we had still 18 players out there on the field who did their job and who took responsibility,” she added.

"We knew that this was going to happen in Jharkhand" - Savita Punia on huge crowd turnout in Champions Trophy

The crowd thronged the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh AstroTurf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi to watch the Indian women team take on Japan in the final. According to The Indian Express, more than 1000 spectators were unable to enter the stadium, which could accommodate a capacity of around 10,000 people.

The electrifying atmosphere in Ranchi wasn’t surprising for Indian skipper Savita Punia. She expects a similar response when they start their quest for an Olympic berth in the next two months.

“Yeah, definitely. The crowd helped me a lot. And we knew that this was going to happen in Jharkhand. We were aware of this that the audience there loves hockey a lot. So we will get the crowd because I played the national game in 2011. It wasn't that much, but it wasn't less. So we were mentally prepared because there is pressure on the home team to perform well in front of the home crowd,” Savita told the media about the crowd support in Ranchi.

“So that was just for us. Our coaches said the same thing and we discussed it among ourselves that the Olympic qualifiers are also going to happen here. So this will be a best preparation for us. And if people are coming to watch us with so much love, then maybe we have to come out of an Asian game and start anew. And there can't be a better chance for us,” she further said.

The Indian team is currently on a short break for the Diwali festival but they will travel to Europe next month in a bid to prepare for the Olympic Qualifiers. The squad is expected to travel to Spain on December 10.