As the final stages of the current FIH Hockey Pro League season approach (starting from 13 June), let us hear from the participating teams. Today, Marc Miralles, captain of the Spanish men’s side — “The Red Sticks” — shares his thoughts.
After the semi-finals in Paris and winning the European bronze medal, where would you say this Spanish national team stands right now?
Right now, we are really looking forward to coming back together for this Pro League window. I think we were a bit inconsistent during the first stage and did not achieve the results we would have liked, but there were still many positive aspects. The work we are doing is very good from a physical, tactical and technical point of view.
The Pro League constantly pits you against the best teams in the world. How important is competing in this environment on the road to the World Cup?
I think our preparation has been good, even though we are still with our clubs and cannot spend as much time together as we would like. Looking ahead to this Pro League window and the build-up to the World Cup, I believe it will be ideal. We will have plenty of time together, training sessions, matches and competition, so I am very confident about how we will arrive at the tournament.
The Pro League is obviously a fundamental part not only of our preparation, but also a competition that we would love to win and in which we want to compete with that objective in mind. We are constantly measuring ourselves against the best teams in the world, so it is an excellent benchmark to understand where we stand. It also provides us with a competitive rhythm that closely reflects what we will face at the World Cup.
For me, what has allowed us to take this step forward has been the way we prepare, together with the experience we continue to gain from every tournament we play.
Spain has shown in recent years that it can compete with anyone. What do you think has enabled this group to make that competitive leap?
At the beginning, because of the rebuilding process and the arrival of a new coach, we were more of a possibility than a reality. In that situation, it is perhaps easier to play without the pressure of people expecting results from you.
As you become more established, achieve good results and start competing for medals, expectations naturally change. However, I think we have responded well. At the Olympic Games we fought for medals, and at the European Championship we were there again competing at the highest level.
That tells us that the way we are working is the right one, that the players are continually improving physically, gaining maturity and building experience. The path forward is clearly to continue along the same line we are following now.
What do you expect from these two Pro League windows in Belgium and Germany?
For the Belgium and Germany window, the goal is to win as many matches as possible and, above all, continue accumulating minutes and experiences together as a team in order to further strengthen the group ahead of the World Cup.
They will undoubtedly be tough matches against top-quality opponents, but we are very excited to play for Spain again, represent the national team and once more test ourselves against the best teams in the world.
