Argentine flair looking good for title

21/10/2001

By Jugjet Singh in Hobart

INDIA and Argentina will battle for the Junor World Cup crown at the
Tasmanian hockey centre today and no matter which team wins, hockey will
benefit from it.
When they met in the second round of the tournament, the score was 2-2,
but today the match is highly likely to be decided in 70 minutes of play
as both teams love to score and defending is not on the menu, because
extra time and penalty flicks is not their style.
Argentina coach Alejandro Verga has cleverly married the European
defence with Indian stick work and the result has been stunning at the
Junior World Cup. Even Australian seniors coach Barry Dancer, who
witnessed all their matches with a string of selectors in tow, was amazed
with the way the Argentines play.
There is total commitment in the team and the players are a joy to watch
because they always smile and encourage each other on the pitch. Every
pass they make is an intelligent one and once in the semicircle, they are
deadly and accurate. Winning penalty corners are not their style because
they prefer to score foeld goals, but when they do get a penalty corner,
chances are that the ball will land at the back of the net.
"In the beginning the players did not know what to do with the ball when
they received it so I told them in simple terms.
"It is like receiving money, if you don't know how to spend it, it will
go to waste. So they must imagine that every time they receive the ball,
it is like receiving money and they must spend it wisely to get maximum
joy. Now, they have no problems because they play with the heart and enjoy
receiving the ball, especially in difficult situations," said verga.
India coach Rajinder Singh, a world cup player and Olympian himself, was
diplomatic about their chances but feels they have a slight edge because
his boys have more exposure.
"We have six experienced players who have played either in the Kuala
lumpur Commonwealth Games or the Sydney Olympics. That might play an
important role in the final tomorrow (today)," said Rajinder.
And he might be right, because against England in the semifinals, the
Argentines were nervous for the first 20 minutes but when they settled
down, England were no match for them. Today, if they fail to overcome
their nervousness in the first 10 minutes, they might find themselves in a
tight spot.
But that is what the Argies thrive on, for they have come from behind on
many occasions with great determination and stubbornness like a charging
bull.
But Argentina have already won the battle by making the finals after
coming into the world cup as "just a number."
So, even if they lose today, they will be remembered in history. FINAL MATCH-UP
INDIA - 1997 silver medallists
Strengths: Love attacking and defending in numbers. Excellent stick work
and a very strong bench.
Weakness: Do not like defending, even when it is necessary.
Key players: Davesh Chauhan (Goalkeeper), Ajit Singh Gagan (Captain),
Prabhjot Singh, Ignace Tirkey, Kamal Singh (most of them have played in
the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games). ARGENTINA - Never played in the final before.
Strengths: Play with intelligence and teamwork is tops for them.
Key players: Rodrigo Vila (Captain), Joaquin Berthold (Goalkeeper),
Marcelo del Negro (deadly striker), Matias Paredes.
(END)