Need of the hour: Marijne wanted India to be clinical and ruthless.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
Despite India being on top of Pool B in the ongoing FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, head coach Sjoerd Marijne lamented his side’s inability to capitalise on its chances in the 2-2 draw against Scotland on Monday.
“We had nine PCs and enough possibilities to score more,” Marijne told reporters.
“It feels like a loss, and that is good because you want to win these matches, you need to win these kinds of matches. That’s what we are working on. I was happy that we came back from a goal down. I like resilience, but it was not enough to kill the match.”
Marijne pointed to penalty corner execution as a key area that needs improvement.
“If you get nine PCs, we mistrap the direction of the inflexion, the performance of where the ball has to be… all these things were just not good enough, and that is something we have to keep working on.”
The 51-year-old, currently in his second stint with the team, added that the side is gradually adapting to his style of play. “I am happy with the way the girls really pushed themselves. And in the end, we created good opportunities. Unfortunately, we did not make more [of them]. That is the only thing I can blame the team for,” he opined.
“A few really nice attacks, very fast hockey and good defending. They did not come much into our circle. The passing quality today was better than against Uruguay. So step-by-step improvements.”
Looking ahead, Marijne expects Wales to present a similar tactical challenge.
“We have a video meeting in the morning and evening, as well as a training session [on Tuesday]. We have an important match against Wales, which also plays low zone [like Scotland]. We have to do better in that contest, not just in PCs but also in the shots on goal”.
Published – March 10, 2026 07:12 pm IST
