Red Lions instantly find Holland in not one final match – other sports

As per schedule, Saturday’s first game (11:45 a.m., 4:45 a.m. in Belgium) will see Belgium play the Netherlands, the new European champions who beat the Red Lions in the semi-finals last month in Amstelveen. The two teams had previously met in the World Cup final in Bhubaneswar. This time, it was the Belgians who won on penalties. It was already against Orange that they took their first Olympic medal with their semi-final victory in Rio. Then the Red Lions lost the final (4-2) against Argentina.

The irresistible wave that seemed to take over the red lions in 2020, slowed especially after the defeat and third place at Euro Amstelveen. However, Shane MacLeod believes the extra year allowed his group to gain maturity and depth. The stated goal has always been Olympic gold, with Rio’s goal in 2016 being the podium.

What does the Tokyo tournament look like? “We are very satisfied with the work that has been done since the European Championship,” replied Shane McLeod, New Zealand coach at the helm of the team since 2015. “We did everything to ensure that the team reached its best level from the quarter-finals.” , the moment when the right to make mistakes is not allowed. “The only regret is our inability to face Germany during the preparations. In principle, given the composition of our group, the quarter-finals should not be a problem (Canada and South Africa are much inferior to the others). On the other hand, you will be more open in the other group” .

To give yourself the best chance of meeting a weak opponent as possible, it is all about completing the group stage (5 matches) as high as possible. After the Netherlands, the Belgian calendar will provide them with Germany, another great European country that recently reached the finals of the European Championship. And it is precisely one of the reasons why the coach regrets “not being able to face Germany during the preparations”.

“It’s two big games to start. We are particularly hungry to start,” admits Felix Denayer, captain of the team that will play the opening match despite his active participation in the opening ceremony as flag bearer with Nafie Thiam.

A starvation that the staff keeps intelligently. “We’ve had short training sessions, short matches lately, and we stopped as soon as we felt they really wanted to go,” MacLeod said.

“We will play this match against the Netherlands as a final, and we have the desire to win,” explained Nicolas de Kerpel on Thursday, who has been in the team since 2018 and then discovers the games. “But of course we will not display all our tactics like we do in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or final.”

The ideal scenario to start the tournament? “We wouldn’t hesitate to win 3-0, of course, but I prefer a close match to see what works and what doesn’t, all grow in the tournament. And then, to avoid some euphoria and lack of focus”, admits once again the world number 2 sports chief.

The bylaws modification now allows the composition of a group of sixteen players on the scoresheet to be modified from one match to the next. Thus, the replacement is no longer final. Good thing given the injury (calf) to Tom Boone, the best player on the team, who should clear the way on Saturday and allow Thomas Brills to play.

After the match against the Netherlands (FIH 2), other Group B matches with the Red Lions will follow: against Germany (FIH 5/26 July), South Africa (FIH 14/le 27), Canada (FIH 10/le 29) and Great Britain ( FIH 6 / le 30).

Group A brings together Australia (FIH 1), India (FIH 4), Argentina (FIH 7), Spain (FIH 9), New Zealand (FIH 8) and Japan (FIH 15).

The knockout stage will begin with the cross-sectional quarter-finals (August 2) followed by the semi-finals (4) and the final (6).

As per schedule, Saturday’s first game (11:45 a.m., 4:45 a.m. in Belgium) will see Belgium play the Netherlands, the new European champions who beat the Red Lions in the semi-finals last month in Amstelveen. The two teams had previously met in the World Cup final in Bhubaneswar. This time, it was the Belgians who won on penalties. It was already against Orange that they took their first Olympic medal with their semi-final victory in Rio. Then the Red Lions lost the final (4-2) against Argentina. The irresistible wave that seemed to take over the Red Lions in 2020, slowed especially after the defeat and third place at Euro Amstelveen. However, Shane MacLeod believes the extra year allowed his group to gain maturity and depth. The stated goal has always been Olympic gold, with Rio’s 2016 goal being the podium. What does the Tokyo tournament look like? “We are very satisfied with the work that has been done since the European Championship,” replied Shane McLeod, New Zealand coach at the helm of the team since 2015. “We did everything to ensure that the team reached its best level from the quarter-finals.” , the moment when the right to make mistakes is not allowed. “The only regret is our inability to face Germany during the preparations. In principle, given the composition of our group, the quarter-finals should not be a problem (Canada and South Africa are much inferior to the others). On the other hand, you will be more open in the other group” . To give yourself the best chance of meeting a weak opponent as possible, it is all about completing the group stage (5 matches) as high as possible. After the Netherlands, the Belgian calendar will provide them with Germany, another great European country that recently reached the finals of the European Championship. And it is precisely one of the reasons why the coach regrets “not being able to face Germany during the preparations”. “It’s two big games to start. We are particularly hungry to start,” admits Felix Denayer, captain of the team that will play the opening match despite his active participation in the opening ceremony as flag bearer with Nafie Thiam. A starvation that the staff keeps intelligently. “We’ve had short training sessions, short matches lately, and we stopped as soon as we felt they really wanted to go,” MacLeod said. “We will play this match against the Netherlands as a final, and we have the desire to win,” explained Nicolas de Kerpel on Thursday, who has been in the team since 2018 and then discovers the games. “But of course we will not display all our tactics like we do in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or final.” The ideal scenario to start the tournament? “We wouldn’t hesitate to win 3-0, of course, but I prefer a close match to see what works and what doesn’t, all grow in the tournament. And then, to avoid some euphoria and lack of focus”, admits once again the world number 2 sports chief. The bylaws modification now allows the composition of a group of sixteen players on the scoresheet to be modified from one match to the next. Thus, the replacement is no longer final. Good thing given the injury (calf) to Tom Boone, the best player on the team, who should clear the way on Saturday and allow Thomas Brills to play. After the match against the Netherlands (FIH 2), other Group B matches with the Red Lions will follow: against Germany (FIH 5/26 July), South Africa (FIH 14/le 27), Canada (FIH 10/le 29) and Great Britain ( FIH 6 / le 30). Group A brings together Australia (FIH 1), India (FIH 4), Argentina (FIH 7), Spain (FIH 9), New Zealand (FIH 8), and Japan (FIH 15). The knockout stage will start with the quarter-finals (August 2) followed by the semi-finals (4) and the final (6).