(Hockey news) Reigning world and FIH Hockey Pro League title holders Belgium are all set to take on European champions Netherlands, silver medallists Germany, Great Britain, Canada and South Africa.

About the Belgium team

After their success at the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneshwar, 2018 the Red Lions followed it up by becoming the 2019 European Championships and were crowned 2020-21 FIH Hockey Pro League champions. The team are favourites to clinch gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

In a press release by FIH, Florent Van Aubel said, “Every match is a very important match, and it is how you deal with the pool games. That sets you up for the quarter-final stage. That is something that we have been working a lot on. That format has been around for quite some time, and you need to have your peak performance in the quarter-final and it is based on one game, and that is what is so interesting about that format. You can be very good in the pool stage and finish first, but it is still played in one game. That is where we have tried to train to make sure that we are physically and mentally as fit as possible for that quarter-final.”

Man to watch: Arthur Van Doren

About the Netherlands team

Led by the former Argentina international Max Caldas who led the Netherlands women to Olympic and World Cup glory, his side fell just short of winning at the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneshwar, 2018 to Belgium. They recently became the European champions for the sixth time by defeating Germany in a shootout in the competition final.

Here is what Jorrit Croon had to say about his side, “I think in our pool and the other pool, all of the opponents are really good teams. Internationally, all the teams are really close and play at such a high level, like we saw at the last Euros. We drew with Germany and Belgium and then drew with Germany again [in the final], so I think that shows how close teams are. I think it will depend on the shape of the day, and maybe if some player will stand up [and perform]. It is all about the details, I think. We are going to try to manage that as well as possible. Of course, the confidence boost of the Euros will help us a lot. But when we are in Tokyo, the Euros won’t count anymore. We will have to prove again that we are in a good way, show a good game and the best of ourselves. I think it will be a really nice Olympics because of how close the teams are.”

Man to watch: Billy Bakker

About the Germany team

Known as ‘Die Honamas’ the German hockey team has an impressive CV to say the least. Having won four Olympic gold medals, two World Cups, eight European Championships and nine Champions Trophy titles are an indication of what the side can achieve. No other team in Men's Pool B will be underestimating Germany and they are the side to watch out for!

Here is what Florian Fuchs had to say about his side, “It is a tough pool I guess, but every team is super-fit at the Olympics. Every team is determined to make it to the knock-out stages. I think it is pretty cool that we can play Belgium, the Netherlands and England [Great Britain], all teams that we played at the Euros, again. I think that is nice. [Regarding] being ranked high in the group phase, we were ranked first in 2016 and then we played New Zealand [who finished fourth in their pool]. You might think it is easier to play New Zealand, but it wasn’t that way, and we scored a last second goal [to win].”

Man to watch: Christopher Rühr

Also read: Mind Games: India men's hockey coach Reid banks on team's mental resilience for Olympic medal

About the Great Britain team

The last time Great Britain won a gold medal at the Olympics was back in 1988 at the Seoul Olympic Games. It has been 33 years since then and coach Danny Kerry has developed a side that is capable of beating the best in the world on their day. They could very well prove to be the dark horses of the tournament.

Here is what Adam Dixon had to say about his side, “It goes without saying that we are there to win gold. I think we’d be foolish to downplay ourselves by setting any other goal. I think first and foremost, we have to target getting out of the pool to play those crossover games. From there, just take each game as it comes. The pool stage is going to be very important for us. I honestly believe the playing field has been slightly flattened with the preparations, covid and everything else that has been going on. There are no certainties. The preparations of some nations will be slightly damaged by the travel restrictions, so I think the playing field is wide open. We are really looking forward to Tokyo.”

Man to watch: Zach Wallace

About the Canada team

Canada’s Olympic journey has come full circle, making their eighth appearance in the same location as their first (Tokyo 1964 Games). Canada has been crowned continental champions on five occasions, but are yet to finish higher than 10th at the Olympics.

Here’s what captain Scott Tupper had to say about his side, “Our best placement at an Olympic Games is tenth position, so if we can get into a quarter-final it would be the best performance by the Canadian men’s team ever, and we would love to do that. But I do really think it is one game at a time, and not letting say a tough match at the start of the tournament roll into the next game. Ultimately, it is possible that you could get through with two good results. We’d love to have more than two, but we really need to make sure that whether the previous game has gone well or not so well, we put it to bed and have a good game plan ready to go in order to be ready to seize any opportunity that might present itself.”

Man to watch: Scott Tupper

About the South Africa team

Having been crowned the African continental champions in 2019, South Africa qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, with veteran defender Austin Smith playing a key role by scoring 10 goals in five matches. They have made two late replacements in Daniel Bell and Rusten Abrahams, replacing Clinton Panther and Mohamed Mea ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

Here’s what coach Garreth Ewing had to say about his team, “It’s definitely been an interesting 12 months. I think we have taken the positive in growing in maturity and culture over the past year. It is a great opportunity to make an improvement in the world rankings, but that is something we want to do over a sustainable period. I am very pleased with the squad we have put together. It was a difficult process, but I am certain we have the team that can go to games and meet our objectives.”

Man to watch: Tim Drummond