Field Hockey Canada
2000 OLYMPIC GAMES

Canada's national field hockey coach, Shiaz Virjee, today called for greater efforts by the Canadian Olympic squad to match the standard of play by the top three qualifiers from the Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Osaka.

Canada qualified for the Sydney Olympic games by winning the final of the Pan-American games, defeating Argentina in the final. Argentina then had to come to Osaka to qualified for Sydney but they have failed to do so.

Shiaz Virjee is in Osaka with coaches from three of the other four pre-qualifiers: Australia as hosts, Germany qualified from Europe and Holland are Olympic champions from Atlanta. Only the South African and India coaches are not in Osaka.

"It was very important for me to come and watch the matches in Osaka to see how we stack up with the teams that will be qualifying from this tournament," he said. "Three of the six qualifiers are in the top class, such as Korea, Pakistan and Spain. Poland has come out of no-where. I expected Great Britain to qualify and for Malaysia to struggle," he said.

"For the players back at home it is very critical they work hard and continue preparing for the Sydney Olympic games. None of the other teams will wait for us and now that all the teams have qualified they will be working harder to get ready for the Olympics," he said.

"The main thing they have to work on is our finishing in front of the net. The top teams in Osaka don't miss too many opportunities and we have to make sure we don't as well. We get our fair share of opportunities from penalty corners and free play and we have to make sure we convert the penalty corners and finish the free play, " he said.

"On penalty corners we have relied to a large degree on the penalty flick but one of the things that has happened in Osaka is that the interpretation now allows the defender to run straight at the flick. We have to have some good variation so we are not so dependent on the flick to score goals for us," he said.

"Canadian field hockey compares very favorably with the top three teams in Osaka and they could cause us a lot of problems. I think we are well matched with the next three and we match up well with India, which has also qualified. I think we should do quite well at the Sydney Olympics," he said.

"Spain certainly looked like the team to beat in Osaka and I would not be surprised if they won this tournament, as they are class above the rest of the teams," he said. "The overall standard of play over here has been extremely good amongst the top eight teams," he said.

" The class of this tournament is Spain and we have had some really good matches with them so I'm confident that we will do well in Sydney," he said.

Men's Olympic Qualifier - Cross-Over Games

Comments from Shiaz Virjee in Osaka

Great Britain vs. Argentina: 3-1

Great Britain qualified for the Sydney Olympic Games this morning by defeating Argentina 3-1 in a crucial match.

Great Britain started very well and scored an early field goal (2nd minute) and set the tone of the match.

Great Britain played to its strength throughout the game by blanketing the running and passing game of the Argentinian team. Great Britain offered very little forward press and mainly fell back to prevent Argentina from exploiting any space . Then at the back the combination of Hall and Wyatt did their job in taking care of Lombi and Capurro.

The penalty corners did not go as well for Argentina as it had 2 days ago when it scored 4 of 6 against Pakistan. Great Britain defence did well to stop the corners. Great Britain on the other hand scored 2 more goals and included a well taken flick by Callum Giles.

It was only after the score was 3-0 and with 15 minutes to go did Argentina start carrying the ball and penetrate the GB defence. Argentina did score a penalty corner but it was too late and the experienced GB team was not about to give anything else.

With this disappointment, Argentina can win the match for 7th place and hope to take the place of any team that drops out. I must say that Argentina has played very well and that is little consolation for this team. On the other hand Great Britain must be relieved with this result.

Malaysia defeated Japan 2-1 to qualify for the last remaining spot for the Sydney Olympic Games.

Japan started out extremely well and was up 1-0 in the first few minutes of the game. Japan dominated the game in the first 20 minutes and it seemed that it would score at least a couple more goals. The passing and individual dribbling skills were successfull in getting past the defenders. Malaysia counterattacked and Suhaimi scored a great deflection goal to even the score at 1-1 late in the first half.

The second half was very conservative for both teams. Neither wanted to lose the match and the ball was played in midfield. The only corner in the second half was awarded to Malaysia and Kuhan made no mistake to win it with 5 minutes left.

Malaysia capitalized on opportunities and deserved victory. Japan had the potential and it was dangerous whenever it went forward, the team created possibilities. Japan will now play Argentina for 7th place tomorrow while Malaysia will play Great Britain for 5th place.

• Qualified for Sydney: Korea, Poland, Spain and Pakistan
• Can still qualify (2 out of 4): Japan, Great Britain, Argentina and Malaysia
• Cannot qualify any more: New Zealand, Belgium, Switzerland and Belarus

Comments from Shiaz Virjee in Osaka

Argentina needing to win to stay in the hunt for a spot in the Olympic Games came out ready from the opening minute. Pakistan needed to win by 4 goals to avoid playing Korea in the semi-final. The weather would play a key role in this match as the pitch was water logged and a continuous drizzle slowed the flow of the game.

Argentina carried the play from the start and made several tactical runs to clear lanes on its right and send a midfielder into attack. Pakistan had to adjust its marking as Abbas is still nursing his groin injury and cannot mark or tackle effectively. Argentina exploited this weakness a number of times in the match.

The first corner to Argentina was a flick by Lombi that was stopped and down at the other end Abbas flicked low and Ronconi stopped it in net. Next corner for Pakistan was a bullet flick that left the defence watching and Pakistan was up 1-0. However, the lead did not last as Argentina scored from Lombi.

Pakistan had a lot of success attacking down its right side and Nadeem seemed to enjoy the space given to him and his crosses into the circle were deadly. Pakistan could not use its fast breaks because of the rain.

Meanwhile Argentina continued attacking and while it did not have many field shots, it did generate corners and on the day scored 4 of 6 corners while Pakistan scored 2 of 7.

With the score 4-2 for Argentina, the umpire awarded a stroke when the ball was stopped by a high stick. Argentina appealed and, after consultation, the ruling was changed. With 4 minutes to go, Pakistan scored a penalty corner goal to make it 4-3 for Argentina.

A good win for Argentina, very well deserved and now it must prepare to play Great Britain that defeated Belgium last night in a close encounter 4-3.

Switzerland had hoped for Pakistan to win and with only to play Belarus, it seemed that the Swiss would be competing for a Olympic Spot. But that will not now happen...

Comments from Shiaz Virjee in Osaka

The Olympic Qualification Tournament is being very well organized by the Japan Hockey Federation. All the facilities are excellent - hotel, meals and bus transport - and it leaves the teams to fully concentrate on performing to its potential on the field.

The early part of the tournament saw a surprising result when Switzerland defeated Argentina 3-1 in a major upset in Pool B. Meanwhile Pool A saw upsets when Poland defeated Belgium and New Zealand tied Great Britain 2-2.

Here are some of my thoughts of the tournament since my arrival on Sunday 12 March.

First day at the stadium: Monday 13 March

• Pakistan had an easy walkabout defeating Belarus 6-0 without breaking into a sweat.
• Next game Japan defeated New Zealand 2-0. Both teams playing a fairly consistent style of hockey. Those that are familiar with both countries would not be surprised with the flow of the game. Japan had the quick passing game with skillful attacks and deep penetrating runs by their strikers. Hinja Iwata (11) and Takahiko Yamabori (9) combining well and exploiting the defence.
• The third game of the day was a battle between Poland and Belgium. Belgium played a very patient game and controlled the ball for long periods in the first half with good passing and making some deep passes into the Polish left defence. Almost against the run of play, Poland counter-attacked and scored from a series of passes by #15 - Piotr Mikula. (Remember this name - he is a skillfull goalscorer!) The first half ended with Poland scoring another field goal from Dariusz Malecki (#4). Belgium started the second half strongly , putting a lot of pressure and were rewarded with a penalty corner goal and cut the lead to 1-2. Poland played its counterattacking game against Belgium and finished the game with a penalty corner goal to make it 3-1!
  With the result of this match Belgium is in a precarious situation - unless it defeats both Great Britain and Japan, Belgium would not have a chance to qualify for the Olympics...

Tuesday 14 March:

• The first match of the day between Swiss and Malaysia did not live up to expectations. Swiss having defeated Argentina, I fully expected to see it take initiative and play a good tactical game. However, Malaysia dominated and the 4-2 result for Malaysia was flattering for the Swiss. Malaysia has continued to play well since the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur last month - scoring both from penalty corners and the field. Kuhan is flicking well and the forwards are combining well - Mirnawan, Suhaimi and Chua Boon Huat. I think that the Swiss were overly analytical in its preparation to play Malaysia.
• The match of the day was between Spain and Argentina. Although Argentina did not start well, a lot more was expected. We are quite familiar with its style and understand that it can turn it on. Spain scored in the first 5 minutes from a rebound in the penalty corner. Argentina then completely dominated the game with aggressive presses and forechecking. Lombi (#9) had a couple of excellent opportunities and earned a corner just as the half was ending. With 10 Men on the circle , Argentina tied the game 1-1.
  No one expected the outcome of the second half... 7 goals were scored! Argentina went ahead 3-1 in the first 12 minutes of the second half and finally it seemed that Spain woke up. Spain answered with 5 straight goals and made it look almost too easy. When Argentina was up 3-1 and it looked like a rout was on. Spain started to play more of a possession game with short passes and then at every opportunity Spanish players would look to Amat or Arnau or Tubau for a lead about 20 - 25 yards up the field. A pass to one of them and then a run deep into the circle seemed to create numerous opportunities. Argentina did not pull back or hang on... it’s just that Spain changed the tactics and Argentina did not cope with it. The final score of 6-3 was a blow to Argentina. Spain has now qualified for the Sydney Olympics. Argentina must win over Pakistan and hope for a little help form others...
• The game between Japan & Korea was an exciting match. Two attacking teams going end to end with Korea showing more experience in almost every part of the field and winning comfortably 5-1.
• The last match of the day between Poland & Great Britain was expected to be an easy match for GB. But GB was in for a surprise! GB showed it could move the ball well in defence and midfield but it does not have the attackers who could finish. Callum Giles and others in the forward line had several opportunities early in the game. Poland scored midway in the first half from a free hit outside the circle. GB was awarded a generous penalty stroke but Wyatt failed to capitalize on the gift when the Polish goalie guessed correctly to stop it.
  GB did everything but score and on the other hand Poland relied on the fast breaks with excellent stickwork and passing by its captain Robert Grzeszczak. Again (#15) Piotr Mikula had a strong game and scored important goals for Poland. GB had 7 corners and scored 2 while Poland did not even have one corner. Final score 5-2 for Poland - upset result that leaves GB in a must win game against Belgium.

1. Although teams came into this tournament fit... it appears that after 3 games, the hard games is taking its toll and skills are breaking down fast.
2. A lot of corners are being awarded in the games at this tournament. Many more than would be awarded at other major tournaments. A lot of corners are awarded for fouls outside the circle and within 25.
3. Penalty corners are important but teams are having more success stopping them. Some teams are sending a player straight at the flick to stop it! The rule is then unclear whether it should be a corner again or free hit from the defending team. A lot of successful corners are direct flicks. Almost all teams have a good flicker.
4. Umpires positioning is now getting better to help each other but players are still not clear about calls made on the field such as obstruction, tackles and "spins".
5. A lot of discussion by coaches about rule interpretation and the number of cards being awarded. The general thinking seems to be that rather than introduce new rules, clarity is needed for the current rules.
6. Poland, Switzerland and Japan have improved considerably while it is surprising to see the lack of success that GB is having.
7. Spain has successfully brought in a number of young players into its team while still keeping the veteran core.

Here is an overview of the situation, sent from Osaka by Australian journalist Bruce Hamilton:

At the end of eight games and the second day of the Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Osaka, there had been 11 yellow cards, including 4 to Switzerland. The use of yellow cards is having an effect on the outcomes of games. Great Britain scored three goals against Japan when Japan was short handed. New Zealand and Great Britain each scored today when the other team had a player suspended. Pakistan scored three goals against Switzerland today in the 10 minutes after Claudio Bizzozero was sent off. Switzerland in turn scored against Pakistan after Syed Halder Hussain was sent off. At international level, playing against a short handed team should mean at least one goal against that team. Top teams, like Pakistan and Great Britain, are able to capitalize with two and three goals against short handed teams.

On the basis of the performances so far, the 4 top qualifiers from this tournament select themselves:

• Pakistan has rebuilt their team after the disaster of the Champions Trophy in Brisbane in June 1999. They clearly deserved their Azlan Shah Cup win last month and look to be set for a first placing in Osaka.
• Spain has retained their team and it continues to work well together. Polished, professional and winning.
• Korea is slipping but still a formidable force with the inclusion of Song and Kang, both world class players.
• Great Britain has serious concentration problems, having had goals scored against them in the last seconds of three halves in two games, but these are problems, which are fixable.

Great Britain labored to beat host Japan and only managed to go ahead when the Japanese Team was down one man. Calum Giles scored three penalty corners, reaching the impressive total of 100 international goals (most of them, if not all, penalty corner conversions). When the rules were changed after the 1998 World Cup to prevent substitution on penalty corners, everybody predicted the end of Calum Giles' international career, as he was exclusively coming on the field to convert penalty corners. After a short eclipse, he managed to earn a field spot on the team... and has obviously not lost his lethal drag flick on penalty corners.

The main surprise of this first day was the trashing of the Argentinean by the Swiss Team. Something went drastically wrong for the South American, as the Australian journalist Bruce Hamilton notes: