Asian Games: Common area, fitness facilities readied for athletes

Malaysia's national hockey team must recover from their poor performance at the World Cup to have any chance of success at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) had set a goal of advancing to the quarter-finals at the World Cup, where they faced world-ranked 18th Wales on Friday to avoid a last-place finish among the 16 competing teams.

Former Indian coach V. Baskaran warned that the Malaysian team has a tendency to repeat the same defensive mistakes, which is a dangerous strategy. In the opening match against world champions Germany, Malaysia conceded three goals in the first seven minutes and lost 5-1. The Malaysian team also conceded four goals to Ireland within the first 24 minutes, resulting in a 7-4 defeat.

Baskaran emphasized that conceding early goals is suicidal for the Malaysian team, as it allows opponents to easily steal control of the ball. Moreover, once mistakes are made, the Malaysian players are not aggressive in regaining possession. Baskaran, who captained India to a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, pointed out that the Malaysian team's defensive weaknesses are evident in their performance.

The MHC had targeted quarter-final qualification for the World Cup, but the team's poor showing has raised concerns about whether the players will be physically and mentally prepared for the Asian Games just three weeks away. Malaysia suffered a 5-1 defeat to Germany, drew 3-3 with France, and lost 5-3 to Belgium, finishing bottom of their group with only one point.

In the classification matches, they were defeated 7-4 by Ireland and drew 3-3 with South Africa. If Malaysia fails to secure at least one win in the group stage, head coach Brendon Carolan's job may be at risk.