By Admin 
Indian junior men’s team head coach P.R. Sreejesh said he expects more from the side’s attackers despite the glut of goals, ahead of the final FIH Junior Men’s World Cup 2025 Pool-B game against Switzerland here on Tuesday.
Sreejesh had said he wanted his players to show a ‘killer attitude’ in front of goal after the 7-0 win against Chile in the opener. They scored 17 goals without reply against Oman. But the coach says there is more work to be done.
“In this format, we need to have that kind of mentality [to score more goals]. League matches are open, and quarterfinal slots are allotted based on your goal average,” he said in a media interaction.
Sreejesh was a mentor for the junior team during its title-winning run in Lucknow in 2016. From his experience, he says playing in front of a home crowd could be a double-edged sword.
“When you are playing well, everything is great. The audience acts as your 12th man. But when you have an off day, then you feel, ‘I don’t want to put myself in this situation in front of my own people’.
“But it’s always a matter of pride to play for your country in front of your people. You are the ambassadors for your nation, and you are representing them on a world platform,” the coach said.
Despite Tamil Nadu hosting the prestigious event, there are no representatives from the State team in the India squad. Sreejesh believes the right steps are being taken to ensure future participation.
“Tamil Nadu has started a league for schools. Many astroturfs are also coming up. They are building up at the grassroots level, and we will see the benefits in a few years. There are a lot of talents in Tamil Nadu and they will come forward,” he explained.