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PHL format is too long: Freixa

By Sanjay Ganjoo
February 18, 2007 16:50 IST
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Finding the two-month format of the ongoing Premier Hockey League unreasonably lengthy, Spanish star Santi Freixa said a shorter version of the tournament would do justice to players as well as the competition.

Freixa said making the tournament more compact would serve better purpose as international players could not afford to spend such a long time for PHL.

"I feel it should be for one month so that you can keep all your 14 players together. The best system would be not to change your players, but here as we are seeing international players have other commitments as well and are not playing in the entire competition," he told PTI.

Freixa said PHL offered him a unique opportunity to play attacking brand of hockey instead of the defence-oriented game in Europe.

"It's a pacy game and every player has his piece of field. It's really exciting. It is difficult to play this kind of hockey as in Europe, we are used to creating spaces and often switching places."

On his experience of Indian style of hockey, the 24-year old said the fact that a player was marked to play in a particular position could have its drawbacks and plus points.

"I cannot say for sure whether a particular style is good or bad, but I certainly feel that players should have the freedom to make adjustments in the context of the game.

"In Spain, Holland and Germany, we are used to playing different hockey. In Europe, we try to remain behind the ball. All 11 players go back to defend. I feel in today's hockey, a strong defence is essential for success," Freixa said.

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Sanjay Ganjoo
Source: PTI© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

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