Michael Nobbs, coach of Indian National Men’s Hockey Team who has been very instrumental in making India qualify for the London Olympics 2012 has warned his boys that there won't be room for errors against top European teams at the London Olympics.

The Australian coach, who has instilled a new spirit in this team and changed the style of play, said the tour of Europe ahead of the Games will help his team iron out its flaws ahead of the Games. Nobbs spoke to Samikshan Dutta Choudhury of Indian Sports News about India’s chances at the Olympics, preparation and much more before heading to France and Spain for test events.
Excerpts:

ISN: Coach what do you think should be a satisfactory result for the team going by their current standards?
Nobbs: We are currently ranked 10th in the World rankings and anything better than that at the Olympics would be a good result for us. Olympics is a huge tournament and 12 best teams of the planet would be playing there, so expecting a medal even before going there would be a foolish thing to do.

ISN: How many much the test events and Azlan Shah helped the team ahead of London?
Nobbs: They have helped immensely. Our preparations would not have been so good had we not taken part in these events. It did help a lot in preparing ourselves before the Olympics.

ISN: What are your expectations from the team?
Nobbs: See we have been performing well off late and to expect a medal would be realistic but thinking that we have a sure shot chance finishing at the podium would unrealistic at the same time. So all I would say is that we would go there and try to perform to our best capabilities for the country.

ISN: What about the Olympic pool where India has been grouped along with Germany, Holland, New Zealand amongst other teams?
Nobbs: It is a tough group and it would see a lot of upsets. The way we played in Azlan Shah, if we can maintain it and luck stays on our side, we can move to the next round. None of the teams barring Australia in the whole tournament can be said as the best side. Australia are the best side of the World and a strong contender.

ISN: You have instilled Australian style of play in the team. You think they are physically fit to play that kind of game for whole 70 minutes?
Nobbs: First of all it is Indian style of play which Australia plays. Yes they are physically capable of doing so and their fitness and physical endurance has increased a lot. We have practicing the style for a long time and it would not be a problem.

ISN: Defence is a weak link in the team as it has been seen in the past. How far have you been able to deal with it?
Nobbs: Oh trust me we have been working on it for long. It has improved and would further do, but then we would have to be patient. Things do not change overnight.

ISN: Coach the blue turf which is going be used in London has been in news for quite some time now. What would you say on that?
Nobbs: We have started adapting to it and the test events have helped us a lot in that. The turf is new and that is why it is bumpy and the more we play on it would settle down. The only difference I see in Blue and Green turf is the colour. And it is not only for us all, the teams would play on the same turf and all would complain. We already did complain so would not be doing it anymore.