Zaadi: “We will not end up in a mathematical trap”

The gate to the semi-finals is wide open for France. The team looks ready to extend their series of strong results at big events.

In the build-up to the Germany match, ehfeuro.eurohandball.com talked to centre back Grace Zaadi about the strength of the French side, their pressure, and the expectations of the Olympic champions at the EHF EURO 2022, with just 21 months to go until the 2024 Games in Paris.

The 27:19 victory against Montenegro was an impressive French show. Did you want to impress the competition when it was obvious that you would win the game?

Grace Zaadi: “It was not the purpose of the match against Montenegro to prove everybody how strong we are. But of course, what we wanted to show is that we have a quite good defence. Montenegro are a physical strong team, completely different to us. We had all eyes on us.”

Is the huge rotation thanks to wider bench a key for France?

Grace Zaadi: “I hope that this width in our squad can be decisive for the whole tournament, but I can say this only in one week. It is our strategy to have a balanced squad and use all players, so all players are fresh and can play fast. We have 20 players here and everybody is important for the team. If only some players are playing, they get tired and make mistakes in crucial moments. So, it is good also for the coach to know that he can rely on all 20 players without losing quality and dynamics. We keep all players in the same flow, and we all enjoy it all together.”

As the hosts, France do not have to qualify the 2024 Olympics, while other teams are facing this pressure. Does it make things easier for you, having less pressure in this perspective?

Grace Zaadi: “It is true, we do not think about the Olympic Games and I almost forgot that the rest of the teams fight for a good ranking for the qualification tournaments. In this perspective we have no pressure, but we came here to make a result. Except at the 2019 World Championship at Kumamoto, we made it to the final day of all competitions in the previous years. So, this is our pressure, as everybody expects a top result from us. We cannot say that we play free without any pressure, only though we are already qualified for the Olympic Games. We want to build the team for Paris 2024, and the path to go there is still long.”

If you beat Germany on Tuesday, France are already confirmed as group winners and will play the second-ranked team from group I in the semi-finals. Have you already calculated all options for the rest of the tournament?

Grace Zaadi: “Honestly, we all have calculated the potential final outcome. We know that if we beat Germany, we are in the semi-final. But we will not end up in this mathematical trap. In all competitions, we only have the focus on the next game. Germany are a totally different opponent compared to Montenegro. We want to give the maximum like in all games. Germany also need those two points, maybe even more than us. They have the same hunger for those points. Therefore, I expect an intense fight against them.”

Goalkeeper Laura Glauser got injured shortly before the EHF EURO, but Cléopatre Darleux has really stepped up the occasion.

Grace Zaadi: “We used to have great goalkeepers in the French national team, we always can count on a good duo or even a good trio. When Laura got injured, we were all sad – and Laura is one of my closest friends. Now we have Cléopatre and Florina Andre, who also plays very good, but does not have the experience in playing this kind of competition. So, we were a little bit worried about this. But now, Cléopatre has just been incredible, I have never seen her playing like this in the French national team. I hope she will play like this until the end.”