Bloemendaal hockey club, main supplier of the World Cup in India: “But as unobjective as I am, I would have preferred to see Maurits Visser in goal”

National coach Jeroen Delmee of Dutch men’s hockey has announced his final selection for the world championship in India, which begins in January. Hockey club Bloemendaal are the main supplier with five players, but if it had been up to coach Rick Mathijssen, goalkeeper Maurits Visser would have been chosen as the first goalkeeper and not, again, as the second goalkeeper , he said during Harlem today.

Mathijssen finds it unfortunate that Tim Swaen has definitely dropped out, Jasper Brinkman and Dennis Warmerdam are on the reserve list. “But they are two guys who have only been with the Dutch team for a year, so in that respect they are also very logical positions and it is great that they have achieved this,” says Mathijssen.

“For the past six months, everything for hockey players has been to be good and to be selected”

Rick Mathijssen, coach Bloemendaal Men 1

Mathijssen agrees with Delmee’s choices, but makes a small comment. “As non-objective as I am, I would have preferred to see Maurits Visser in goal rather than Pirmin Blaak. I would have done that, by the way, I think he is a better goalkeeper and he also has future,” he said.

Mathijsen thinks it’s great that Teun Beins ‘really worked his way into the selection’, as the coach describes it. “Over the past six months, everything has been done to get hockey players good and selected, and now they’re here to compete for the world title, or at least go for a medal.”

Listen to the full interview with Rick Mathijssen below. The text continues below the fragment

The Netherlands will face Malaysia (January 14), New Zealand (January 16) and Chile (January 19) in the group stage of the World Cup. “That should be nine points,” says Mathijssen. “It’s the easiest group to advance, but hey, we never know.” The most dangerous of these three opponents, he says, is New Zealand.

“I think if the Netherlands manage to get a medal, they did very well. If they get gold, they delivered a world achievement. Literally.

Rick Mathijssen

It remains to be seen whether the Netherlands will actually become world champions in India. The Netherlands last became world champions in 1998. “We came second last time, so we were close, but that was indeed decades ago.” According to him, there are a lot of teams at the top of hockey who are strong, Belgium and Australia are better than the others, according to Mathijssen, he said.

“It’s also the final in advance. But it’s a tournament and you never know how the ball will roll,” concludes Mathijssen. “I think if the Netherlands manage to get a medal, they did very well. If they get gold, they delivered a world achievement. Literally.”

The Men’s Hockey World Cup will take place from January 13 to 29, 2023 in India.