The Oranje are second from bottom in the standings but with several games in hand.
India will face the World No. 1 Netherlands and Argentina in Eindhoven in their final fixtures in the FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022-23. Ranked number two in the FIH Pro League standings with 24 points from 12 contests, India are among the favourites to win the FIH Pro League this year.
The Men in Blue, beat Belgium and Great Britain in their previous two matches. While Craig Fulton‘s side smashed the Olympics champions 5-1, they defeated Great Britain in the penalty shootout after a 4-4 draw in regulation time. They had, however, lost the first two fixtures against both teams in London.
Second from bottom in the FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022-23, Netherlands have played four games so far in the competition and will play 12 more matches, with eight of those at home. The Oranje face India in two of their remaining 12 matches, which will be played on June 7 and 10 in Eindhoven.
About the team
One of the most successful men’s hockey teams, Netherlands have won the Olympics gold two times, the Hockey World Cup thrice, the erstwhile Champions Trophy a total of eight times, the Euro Hockey Nations Championship a record six times, and the Hockey World League once. They had their poorest result in their 37th year in the Olympic competitions, failing to earn a spot for the semi-finals at the Summer Olympics 2020.
Coach
Jeroen Delmee won two Olympics gold medals for the Netherlands apart from a World Cup, one European Championship and four Champions Trophy titles. He served as a coach of the Dutch hockey club Tilburg and the France men’s national team (2017-2021), before taking over as the head coach of the Netherlands men’s team in September, 2021.
Under his tutelage, the Dutch have continued their success at the World level. He guided the Oranje to the FIH Pro League title last season with 12 wins from 16 matches. He also coached Netherlands to a third-place finish in the FIH Men’s World Cup 2023, which was a tad disappointing given they are three-time champions and had reached the final in the last two previous editions.
