Max Caldas: "We are very eager to get started with the Pro League"

As the next stages of the current FIH Hockey Pro League season approach (starting from 5 February), let us hear from the teams beginning their Pro League campaigns soon! Today, Max Caldas, head coach of the Spanish men's hockey team, shares his thoughts.

How has the team’s preparation for this FIH Hockey Pro League season been?

Very good. Since September, when we started training with the group after the summer break, we’ve been gradually integrating new players, bringing them into our high-performance system, our way of training, and our way of living together as a team. More specifically, since December we’ve been working with a finalized group for the Pro League in Valencia and Hobart.

How does the team arrive at the start of this Pro League?

It’s interesting because at the beginning of the year you’re never quite sure where you stand. The good thing about the previous tournament we played in Valencia this January is that it gives us indications of what needs adjusting, where we are, and especially how we feel. I see the team in a very good place and, fortunately, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to choose who plays. So from that point of view, we’re very eager to get started.

You’re coming off a third-place finish at the European Championship. What do you expect from this Pro League in a World Cup year?

It’s an interesting Pro League because it’s a bit of a benchmark against teams we’ll face at the World Cup, and it’s always nice to measure yourself along the road to the World Cup. Spain always plays to win every match, to earn it on the field and close it out on merit before focusing on the next one. So we’ll use the Pro League to truly try to be the best possible version of ourselves at the World Cup, but I think this is the first Pro League we’re looking at differently, with a mindset of wanting a little bit more.

What will characterize Spain’s style of play this year?

What we train for is to raise our level season after season, to be more consistent throughout a match, and to increase the speed of our game. To be even more offensive, both with and without the ball. We’d like to improve our play in both areas, as I think happens to all teams at this level.