Credit: Special arrangement
Being blatantly critical of the Indian colts for their humiliating 1-5 semifinal defeat against Germany in the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup is the easy part. But accepting that the European opponents were the superior side, banking on precise preparation, structural and tactical finesse and unwavering mental fortitude is the tough part.
Did the world No. 1's brilliance make the world No. 2 look mediocre? Sure, it did. What the German drubbing also did was to offer a reality check on how undercooked India still are and how far they need to go to make them an invincible unit.
The heaviness of the loss and the manner in which his boys succumbed was glaring on head coach PR Sreejesh's face at the end of the last-four game on Sunday evening.
"We didn't play well, that's it. We gave them easy opportunities, silly mistakes, conceded goals. And it is quite hard for these guys to bounce back when they concede easy goals early on," said Sreejesh at the post-match interaction.
"In the first quarter, Germany came out with very high intensity. Our players struggled to match up with that, in the midfield especially. I told my players not to allow them to get into the centre. And they allowed that. They just played through the centre and they created opportunities. That's one area where I felt really bad."
So is their a cue for the Indians to take away from the disciplined German team, whose methodical approach intimidates rivals?
"I just want my players to play my way. Because we can't copy-paste anybody's game. And Indians, we do have our own flavour, our own game style.
"We forget to do that. That's the issue. So when you are playing up to their game, it's quite easy for them to match up," analysed the two-time bronze medal-winner Sreejesh.