Flash quotes: media calls 16 January

GROUP A

SLOVENIA

Debrecen, 16 January – Quotes from Slovenia coach Ljubomir Vranjes (SWE), right back Jure Dolenec (SLO) and line player Blaz Blagotinsek (SLO) at a media call on Sunday.

Ljubomir Vranjes (SWE) – coach, Slovenia

On their next opponents, Montenegro:

“We are facing an opponent who won against North Macedonia and are with full confidence now. Montenegro is playing very good. We are aware of the importance of the match. It’s the final match of the group phase and a battle for a main round place. We must give our best and play like we did in the first half against Denmark. We can’t lose focus again as we did in the second half. We need to be fully concentrated for the whole 60 minutes if we want to see the next stage.”

Jure Dolenec (SLO) - right back

On his absence from the match against Denmark:

“It’s hard to watch a match from the stands, especially one like against Denmark. The team played very well in the first 30 minutes and Denmark took advantage from all our mistakes. Slovenia can do better, I believe in those guys.”

Blaz Blagotinsek (SLO) - line player

On their next opponents, Montenegro:

“We need to leave the match against Denmark behind us and be focused only on our play and what can we improve. We have a tough match against Montenegro and we must give our maximum on the court. To show our team spirit if we want to see the main round.”

DENMARK

Debrecen, 16 January – Quotes from Denmark goalkeeper Jannick Green (DEN) and centre back Rasmus Lauge Schmidt (DEN) at a media call on Sunday.

Jannick Green (DEN) - goalkeeper

On his comeback to the team after previously testing positive for Covid-19:

“It’s an amazing feeling to be back with my team at to be here at the EHF EURO. I’m looking forward to play, to enter the arena.”

On the last match of the preliminary round against North Macedonia:

“We will see what the coach will ask from us, what will be the approach. It’s a good position for us as we are already in the main round so we don’t have that much of a pressure. Atmosphere in the team is good, chill and we are all happy with everything so far.”

Rasmus Lauge Schmidt (DEN) - centre back

On the last match of the preliminary round against North Macedonia:

“The match against North Macedonia will be about giving some more time for the players who haven’t played much in the first two matches. To get everybody involved with the tournament and to get to the main round more relaxed.”

NORTH MACEDONIA

Debrecen, 16 January – Quotes from North Macedonia coach Kiril Lazarov (MKD) and left back Filip Taleski (MKD) at a media call on Sunday.

Kiril Lazarov (MKD) - coach

On two defeats at the EHF EURO 2022:

“I have a clear idea what I want with this team and we will continue to work on that plan. Every loss hurts, but I must say that our vision and goals were much different before the start of the tournament and during the preparation period.

“However, we miss a lot of key players, and it’s not easy to play without them. That reflected on the result too but this is not an excuse. In the first match we showed passion and we played very well. It gave an impression that we can play even better against Montenegro. It was shown that Montenegro has more experience, our young players mostly play in our clubs and are still missing confidence to play at big tournaments like this. We will work on that for the future as we have new goals ahead of us.”

On the next match against Denmark:

“We don’t have anything to lose against Denmark. We can play that match without pressure. My players need to enjoy playing that match. I expect a good approach from all of them and to prepare as best as we can, and we are also fighting for placement, to see if we are on a good path with overall idea for the future. This young team needs to play against strong teams like Denmark.”

Filip Taleski (MKD) - left back

On the last match of the preliminary round against Denmark:

“They are a strong team with amazing offence. We will try to keep up with them. Our main wish is to end this EHF EURO with a good match, that we show our fighting spirit.”

MONTENEGRO

Debrecen, 16 January – Quotes from Montenegro coach Zoran Roganovic (MNE) and left back Vasko Sevaljevic (MNE) at a media call on Sunday.

Zoran Roganovic (MNE) - coach

On the next opponent, Slovenia:

“They’re a team that is playing good for some time now. I have been analysing them before. I had enough free time to prepare a lot of materials to my players so that they can prepare as best as they can. We are ready for that match. We have to have the same approach as we had against North Macedonia. There are still some problems between players, however, our team spirit is high and we are not giving up on anything.”

Vasko Sevaljevic (MNE) - left back

On the next opponent, Slovenia:

“Slovenia is a strong team, but are not at their best even though they have two good players on every position. They play fast handball with good defence. They have their flaws and we will try to take those in our advantage. We need to prepare well for that important match which can bring us historic result for our country.”

GROUP C

CROATIA

Szeged, 16 January – Quotes from Croatia coach Hrvoje Horvat (CRO) and left back Tin Lucin (CRO) at a media call in Szeged on Sunday.

Hrvoje Horvat (CRO) - coach, Croatia

On the win against Serbia on Saturday:

“Without character and heart, we would not have won yesterday. Some players arrived at 2 in the morning, we did not have the time to prepare much, so it was all down to heart and motivation. The good news is that we will be able to work today so we will have the time to work and make some more progress before the game against Ukraine.”

On the return of Luka Cindric:

“He made our attack more fluid, we could see he gave much more confidence to the players around him as well. Even though he is not 100 per cent physically yet, we are a better team when he is on the court.”

On Ukraine, an opponent Croatia have never played against:

“It is always harder to prepare a game against an opponent we don’t know. There is some quality in this team, Dmytro Horiha is a good player, for example. We have to be careful, we can’t think that this is going to be an easy game, or this will turn into a hard one.”

Tin Lucin (CRO) - left back, Croatia

On the game against Ukraine:

“They are a young team, that we have not heard a lot of. I know they have a lot of new players. We must not focus on them anyway, more on us and more on what we have to do.”

On the support of the Croatian fans during the game against Serbia:

“It was very, very important for us to have so many fans, and I want to thank them for coming. They made so much noise, I don’t remember playing in such a crazy atmosphere. It really helped us in the second half, to put pressure on our opponents, but also because that gave us the extra boost we needed.”

FRANCE

Szeged, 16 January – Quotes from France coach Guillaume Gille (FRA), centre back Aymeric Minne (FRA) and left wing Hugo Descat (FRA) at a media call in Szeged on Sunday.

Guillaume Gille (FRA) - coach

On the benefits of having two different kind of playmakers such as Aymeric Minne and Kentin Mahe:

“Kentin has got a lot of experience, either with his clubs or with the national team, as he has been playing with us for a long time now. Aymeric is more fresh, he is hungry, but he has to learn the highest level of competition. We try to rotate them according to this experience, but also depending on what we need at a special moment on the court.”

On Dragan Pechmalbec choosing to play for Serbia:

“From him, that was not impatience, but he wanted to enjoy international games and he had the impression he would have to wait to do it with us. We respect the choice that he made. Of course, this is a little bit special to play against Dragan in such a decisive game, even more so as he is a player with lots of qualities.”

On the game against Serbia on Monday:

“Even though the maths make it a little bit different, we see it as a do or die game. We win, we are through with two points, we lose, we have to wait for the result of Croatia vs Ukraine. So let’s make life easier for ourselves and fight for the win.”

Aymeric Minne (FRA) - left back

On playing against his HBC Nantes teammate Dragan Pechmalbec on Monday:

“That will be special, for sure. Of course, I would have liked him to play with us, but things are the way it is. I talked to him before their game against Croatia, he told me about their expectations and their hunger for success.”

On the journey he had before playing his first EHF EURO:

“It was a long one, but I’m very proud of what I achieved. This is a dream that I had since I was a kid, but this is not the end of the road either. I try not to let pressure get to me, to remain focus and to enjoy the moment while helping the team.”

On his performance against Ukraine:

“It was good for me to have some playing time yesterday, I was able to show what I could do as well as scoring some goals, so that was good. I think it’s a good thing that all the young players could be on the court yesterday, just to get into the rhythm of the competition.”

Hugo Descat (FRA) - left wing

On the atmosphere in the hall in Szeged:

“Of course I love it when the fans are backing up my team, but against Croatia, even though the whole arena was against us, I loved it. Here, the fans know handball, when we come with our clubs, they are there as well. Handball is really something big in Hungary and Croatia, so I really enjoy playing here.”

On the game against Serbia on Monday:

“There is no room for calculation there, we’re going for the win and the points. That’s very important for us not to depend on the other teams. If we win tomorrow, we take two points with us to Budapest. The atmosphere will be strange, because maybe the Croatian fans will back us up as our win might qualify them, so I don’t know what to expect.”

On the role he has with France since Michaël Guigou retired:

“It’s not really different since the last Olympics. Before, when I was playing with Michaël, he played the first half of the games and I was playing the second half. I don’t put any extra pressure on my shoulders because of that, I just try to be myself.”