Spain: Escarre furious at India's tactics  x2
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| Spain |
November 30, 2004 
Rediff.com
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Smarting under a 3-2 defeat, Spanish captain Juan Escarre accused India of "not playing positive hockey" in the second and final hockey Test in Chandigarh on Tuesady.
"They kept losing time, a tactic which is not good for hockey," he charged after India won the match to level the series 1-1.
"It's another way of victory, we will try to use our way next time," a livid Escarre fumed while slamming the approach of the Indian team especially in the second half.
Asked if he was suggesting that Spain would use "negative tactics" in future games, he evaded a direct reply but said their approach would depend on how the opposition plays.
However, his coach Maurtis Hendriks was singing a different tune and he in fact praised the Indians for their fine win.
"They played with a very tight defence. Our players had trouble getting through. Dilip (Tirkey) is a great organiser of defence."
He also praised Sandeep Singh, hailing him as a "powerful penalty corner hitter" while stating that the Indian team was still a force to reckon with in world hockey.
"The Chandigarh experience has given my team good exposure to the Asian conditions as we have eight new players.
Overall, this has been a good experience for the team," he said.
India coach Gerhard Rach said the team badly needed to win this game.
"We needed this win. We are happy. At least now it seems that we are ready not to lose the game in the last three minutes".
Rach was referring to Sunday's match during which Spain scored the winner in the dying moments of the match for a 3-2 win.
Indian captain Dilip Tirkey said the victory against the formidable Spain had indeed boosted the morale of the team ahead of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament but admitted that the players still needed to work on some weak areas.
"The win has boosted the team morale and given the boys confidence. Our counter attacks paid off well and we played good hockey in the first half. However, in the second half we made some mistakes and were a bit under pressure," Tirkey said.
Tirkey said the team needed to work on clearance and passes because wrong passes often gave the opposition a chance to launch an attack.
"Clearance is a huge problem area as we keep losing the ball. We need to work in this area," he said.
Asked about India's chances in the Champions Trophy, to be played in Pakistan from December 4, he said, "We are ready for the championship. The two matches we have played against Spain have given us time to settle down.
"No doubt our matches will be tough as Holland, Germany and Pakistan are better teams but we will have to fight," he said.
Tirkey said the training camp, which the team had attended here for nearly a month, had helped them improve in many areas including penalty corner conversions.
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