Pakistan Hockey players start training in Lahore ahead of Asia Cup

LAHORE: The Pakistan National Men’s Hockey team began training today at the National Hockey Stadium under the supervision of head coach Siegfried Aikman.

During a press conference during the training camp, Aikman stated that Pakistan hockey will be involved in a number of events this year, including the Asia Cup and Commonwealth Games.

“The Asian Games are also in the same year which is the Olympic qualifiers for us. We have to prepare well for all the events as time is short,” Aikman said.

Aikman also brought up a flaw in the team’s defence, citing the green shirts’ 20 goals conceded in the Asian Champions Trophy.

“20 goals were scored against us in the Asian Champions Trophy which is a lot. The first priority is the defence and the second priority is the focus on physical fitness,” he added.

“We are also working on the basics of the goalkeeping,” he concluded.

It’s worth noting that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has called 35 players for a training camp that will end on February 14.