Back to the drawing board: National coach A. Arulselvaraj wants his charges to focus on the 5th-6th classification match. — S.S. KANESAN/The Star
THEY had come into the Asian Games with some big talk about winning the gold medal and qualifying for the Olympics.
Now, all medal hopes are gone, with the hockey team’s early exit after the 4-4 draw with China.
However, national hockey coach A. Arulselvaraj believes the Olympics Games are still not beyond reach.
“I promised myself, when I came back to Malaysia, that I would to bring Malaysia to the Olympics.
“I promised my kids that I would bring Malaysia to the Olympics,” said Arulselvaraj.
“Right now, I want the boys to finish the Asian Games on a high, which is to beat Pakistan (in the 5th-6th placing matches).
“I want the boys to head home with good momentum, something to build on before the Olympics qualifiers.”
Arulselvaraj has told his players to ignore the criticism that has been raining on the team and focus on a fifth-place finish, the best they can do after missing out on the semi-finals.
Azrai Abu Kamal reacts after the 4-4 draw with China.
Malaysia finished third in Pool B, collecting 10 points from five matches.
They won their first three matches against Thailand (9-0), Oman (11-1) and Indonesia (9-2), but lost to South Korea (3-4) and in a must-win game, were held 4-4 by China.
They will take on Pakistan in the 5th-6th classification match at the Gongshu Canal Park Stadium on Friday.
The failure to challenge for gold has led to talk about Arulselvaraj’s future but the 52-year-old is unfazed.
“My mind is on Pakistan. Right after the game against China, the coaches and I have already planned the programme for the Olympic qualifiers in January,” he said.
“I am not thinking about the future or what will happen to the coaching position.
“Coaching a national team, your timeline is your success.
“If they win tomorrow, I am the best coach, if I lose the next, I will be sacked. But I have a job to do.”
Arulselvaraj admitted that the setback in Hangzhou was tough to swallow as the team had been really in good shape heading into the Asian Games.
Since he took over the team in 2020, Malaysia have broken into the top 10 rankings in the world, finished second in the Asia Cup 2022, won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year and finished second in the recent Asian Champions Trophy.
Asked if the target of gold had got to the players, Arulselvaraj said pressure was part of high-performance sports.
“Against South Korea, there was that short moment.
“In the fourth quarter, we had a penalty stroke and an extra two men. I could not digest how we conceded a goal in that situation,” he said.
“Even against China, we were in peak shape. The players were well-hydrated and strong fitness-wise. But we just faltered at the wrong moments.
“We made silly decisions in crucial moments.
“We made huge progress in the last two years and then this happens.
“I am shell-shocked and it happened in that one game against South Korea.
“If we had held them, and then the 4-4 draw against China would have been enough.
“But we will bounce back.”
