Daszek: “A historical moment for our club”

Orlen Wisla Plock are the only non-German participants at the premiere of the EHF Finals Men in Mannheim on 22 and 23 May. The Polish runners-up qualified for the Last 16 as group winners of the newly founded EHF European League, then had some tough fights in the knockout matches, but finally made it all the way to the semi-final against SC Magdeburg.

Right wing Michal Daszek has played for Plock since 2014. The 28-year-old Polish international and Olympian is now one of the most experienced players at Wisla.

In this exclusive interview with eurohandball.com, Daszek talks about the expectations in Plock and Poland, the underdog role of Wisla and the 2020/21 season in general.

eurohandball.com: For the first time in many years, Plock were not part of the Champions League. Were you disappointed before the season? 

Michal Daszek: Of course I was not, because the EHF European League has a lot of very good teams at the highest European level. 

eurohandball.com: What does the qualification for the EHF Finals mean for you, the club and the fans? 

Michal Daszek: It is a historical moment for our club. We are in the EHF Finals with really great teams. For me, this can be a huge impulse for the future. I mean that after that kind of success you know that you are on a good way — that you are making a really good job. The fans are with us all the time. We feel the support from them and we did this for them of course. We are waiting to meet with them inside the sport halls.

eurohandball.com: How do you rate the role of Wisla Plock — are you the underdogs or the secret favourites?

Michal Daszek: I think that pressure for us does not exist. The three German teams are all favourites. We want to show our best. It is always better to start tournaments like this from the back row.

eurohandball.com: You face SC Magdeburg. Will you be in touch with your national teammate Piotr Chrapkowski before the match to talk about the chances? 

Michal Daszek: We already spoke about that on our last camp with the Polish national team. Of course, we were laughing after every good action against each other. 

eurohandball.com: Kielce did not qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals. Do all Polish handball fans now support Wisla?  

Michal Daszek: I think yes. When we play against each other, we are rivals, but when Kielce play in European competitions, we support them and I am sure that they are supporting us. We all want the best for Polish club handball.

eurohandball.com: In this regard, what does the qualification for the EHF Finals in Mannheim mean for Polish handball? 

Michal Daszek: This is a great thing. Every team congratulates us because they know that this is good for the whole league. Many times, Kielce were at FINAL4 events. Now we are there. Maybe next year both teams will be. I can imagine that this can be really good for handball in Poland.

eurohandball.com: Did you expect to go so far when the season started? 

Michal Daszek: Yes. Nobody said it loudly, but it was our objective. During the season, we improved a lot. We grow like a team. We have won a lot of difficult games. 

eurohandball.com: What made Plock so strong this season? 

Michal Daszek: I think that we know each other very well. Every team needs time, and now the core of the team has played together for a couple of seasons. There is good chemistry inside the team and we know that we can count on each other. 

eurohandball.com: The knockout stages against Sporting and GOG were quite close. What or who was the game changer in those matches? 

Michal Daszek: They were two different stories. Against Sporting we played really good in the first away game and I guess we thought that we were already qualified. In the first game against GOG we did not start well. We wanted to reduce the goal difference as soon as possible and that was not a good idea. But then we spoke after the first half to be calm, to do the best as we can and finally we just lost by three goals. Before the return match, we knew that there was nothing to lose. That was what we needed: to try to play our handball and not to look at the clock. Simply play every next action. That was the key I think.

eurohandball.com: How important is the international experience of coach Xavi Sabate for the European League participation? 

Michal Daszek: I cannot image this team without him. All of us have a really good connection to him. He is preparing us really good for every game and of course his experience is priceless.

eurohandball.com: How big is the Spanish influence on your team with Sabate as coach and some Spanish players? 

Michal Daszek: We are trying to play the Spanish style handball and I think that this is perfect idea. I can only say that I fell inside this system really good. 

eurohandball.com: The Plock squad is very international, with players from 10 countries. How do you deal with all those mentalities?

Michal Daszek: Like I said, we know each other very well. We spent so much time together travelling and training, so language is not a problem. Believe me, we are like one big family regardless that we are from Poland or Spain or Croatia.