Marijne Wants a Deeper, More Versatile India for Bhopal — and One Eye Already on LA28
Six days out from Bhopal, Sjoerd Marijne isn’t talking about defending a title. He’s talking about depth.
India’s head coach, speaking to Hockey India ahead of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, said the whole point of this tournament is to make his squad harder to break. More players who can play more than one position, more competition in training, and a group that doesn’t fall apart if one player goes down.
“We are busy creating more depth, which also makes training sessions more competitive,” Marijne said. “The players are also aware of that. So, they’re giving their best and working really hard.”
Players out of position, on purpose
This isn’t a vague plan. Marijne named names. Ishika normally plays as a striker, but she’s been training in midfield. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal is doing the same. The idea is simple: if someone gets injured in a tournament like the Olympics, the replacement shouldn’t be a panic pick.
“It’s to create more depth in the squad. We want the players to be able to play in different positions,” he said. “It becomes helpful if a player gets injured, especially in a tournament like the Olympics, and it’s very helpful for the development of the players.”
The youngsters get their shot too. Pooja Sahoo, who earned her first senior call-up in the squad named on 10 November, will get game time, as will Jyoti Singh, in line for her first appearance. And Mumtaz Khan is back after a long time away, another option in attack.
The new pitch? Not a problem
Bhopal’s new International Sports Complex at Nathu Barkheda has a brand new pitch, and new pitches always come with questions. Marijne shrugged that one off.
“It’s just an adjustment. We play the whole year on different pitches, and this will be a similar change,” he said. “The pitch at the Asian Games was very difficult and bumpy. So, we’re not too worried about that. The opponents also have to deal with the same.”
That’s the other thing about this tournament. India beat China in the Asian Games final in Japan last month to take gold, and the same set of teams turns up in Bhopal. Marijne doesn’t care much about that.
“You never know what squads these teams bring to the tournament,” he said. “But the main thing is what I’ve said the whole year, and it will be the same for this tournament: we have to focus on ourselves, what we want to improve after the Asian Games, what we want to do better.”
Then the hard part starts
Marijne is already thinking past Bhopal. After the tournament there’s a welcome break, then the Hockey India League, then the Pro League in February, with Argentina and Germany waiting. Getting a team back into international rhythm after a break is never easy, and he knows it.
“Playing against Argentina and Germany in February immediately after the small break following a tournament like Hockey India League is not easy,” he said. “That’s the same with every country. You need time to adapt. So, that will be a big challenge for us: how fast we can get the girls back in that zone.”
For our money, that’s the honest read on this tournament. India are defending champions and three-time winners, playing at home, and they’ll be expected to win it. But Marijne is using Bhopal as a laboratory, and if a few experiments cost a goal here or there, he’ll take it. The Asian Games gold proved this group can win the big one. Bhopal is about making sure they can do it again in Los Angeles.
India open against Malaysia on Thursday 19 November, after China and Thailand play the tournament opener the same day. The semi-finals are on 27 November, with the medal matches on 28 November.
