KUALA LUMPUR: The national junior hockey squad is planning to hold a European tour series in preparation for the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur this December.
Without disclosing the details, head coach Muhamad Amin Rahim expressed his confidence that his team will benefit from the tour series which usually fields the best players to test the squad’s strength.
“We have yet to play against any European team so hopefully in the tour, we will get used to their pattern and style of play so that we will be better prepared to play in the Junior World Cup later,” he said through a video clip shared by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) to the media.
MHC previously set a target for the national junior hockey team to at least advance to the semi-finals of the tournament which will be held from Dec 5 to 16.
Yesterday, the Young Tigers ended the challenge in fourth place after losing 1-2 to South Korea in the third/ fourth place decider of the 2023 Men’s Junior Asia Cup in Salahah, Oman.
Meanwhile, touching on the performance of his players at the Men’s Junior Asia Cup, Muhamad Amin said there are still several weaknesses that need to be improved to ensure Malaysia is fully prepared for the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
“There are several aspects that have been identified in the coaching line to be improved, especially in terms of strength and reconditioning, physical fitness and agility.
“Players will be given a break of at least 10 days before returning to full training. We will focus fully on physical training where that is a very noticeable weakness in this tournament (Men’s Junior Asia Cup),” he said. - Bernama
