Focusing on attacking variations: Hockey coach Oltmans

Bengaluru, Sep 22 : Back in the national camp after a four-week break since the 2016 Rio Olympics, Head Coach Roelant Oltmans said the focus during the camp is to bring variations in the midfield and forward line.

He also said that the squad is upbeat and has now shifted focus to the new season which starts with the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia where they will meet arch rivals Pakistan. 

The selection trials to pick the team for the Asian Champions Trophy and Australia tour will be held on Friday at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) here. 

"The focus during this month-long camp will be to bring about variations in the midfield and forward line structure. Of course fitness too will be a priority," Oltmans said.

"We have shown in the past one year that we are as good as any other top team in the world but we need to bring in consistency and create results that are in our favour. That's the key and we need to work on it.

"The mood in the team is very good and the players have moved on from their quarter-final loss against Belgium. They don't have bitter feelings about the Olympics because now they know they are on par with top teams in the world and they are often complimented by hockey lovers not just from India but around the globe for how they played at the Olympics," added Oltmans.