KUALA LUMPUR – It may not have been all smooth sailing for the national men’s hockey team this year, but the 2022 season is definitely one the squad and head coach A. Arul Selvaraj will remember.
Speaking to The Vibes, Arul said the year started off well for the Speedy Tigers as they moved up one spot to 10th place in the FIH rankings.
“It was a good start for us after having a tour to Australia, we brought that experience with us to the Asia Cup, but we lost to South Korea in the finals,” he said.
The national team were close to claiming their first Asia Cup title in June at the tournament held in Jakarta, Indonesia, but fell short after South Korea overpowered them and won the cup for the fifth time.
Despite the loss in the Asia Cup, Malaysian hockey fans had reason to cheer as the team’s qualification into the tournament’s Super 4 group meant they had booked a spot in the 2023 World Cup.
Malaysia had last qualified for the 2018 World cup in India, where they finished 15th. Their best achievement in the tournament was in 1975, when they finished fourth at Merdeka Stadium.
The Speedy Tigers also made history at this year’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, defeating South Korea 3-2 in Ipoh to win the cup for the first time.
Arul said several players had shown great potential during the competition, especially Tengku Nasrul Ikmal.
“We took a fairly unknown player and put him into the team. He played the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and won it for the first time, and he also played in the Nations Cup.
We want players who are willing to work hard. They do not purely rely on their talent because if that happens then they become lazy.
“Hard work plus talent enables the players to progress faster and better,” he said.
Arul added that there will be young players coming through to the senior team but explained that players would not be chosen purely based on their skills.
“My philosophy is about hard work, discipline, team ethics, and trust.
“I must first show my trust to my men. That is why for every match that we play, everyone gets equal playing time. It does not matter if you have zero caps or 300 caps, everyone gets equal playing time.
“It is up to them to use that trust I have in them to work hard and give back to the team,” he added.
The 48-year-old also said the players have also improved their work ethic.
“Most of them have invested in their own gym equipment during the lockdown, and they have also learnt to eat and rest well.
“We have a period called the empowerment week, and during this time the players train on their own without any coaching staff.
This gives them the opportunity to grow and learn more about being an athlete. They have realised that they need to get fit in order to play hockey, not play hockey to get fit,” he said.
However, at the Nations Cup, Malaysia ended up fourth after losing to South Korea.
Arul attributed the loss to the absence of seven key players due to injury, but found positive results despite the sluggish performance.
“It did give us the chance to give some younger players some playing time, which is good.
“We also moved players around in different positions which was also good for them. There was a player who was supposed to be a striker, but we put him as a defensive midfielder and he did well,” he said.
Arul and his men will now begin their preparations for the 2023 World Cup held in India from January 19 to 23 next year.
They are in Group C together with the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Chile. – The Vibes, December 13, 2022
