Šoštarić's game: “I go into my own little bubble”

Mario Šoštarić has years of experience playing at the highest level, both with OTP Bank-PICK Szeged and Croatia, and previously for Slovenia. The skillful right wing has been in countless situations where the responsibility to score falls on him, whether shooting from the wing, running a fast break or stepping up to the seven-metre line.

But Šoštarić does not like to decide where his shot is going before he takes it, as the final choice depends on what he sees in front of him — the position of the goalkeeper, his reaction and the small opening that might appear.

Playing fast handball has always suited Šoštarić, and under Szeged's head coach Michael Apelgren, the wings have been given an important role in that game, together with the freedom to take responsibility when the chance comes.

“With the change of the coach, the game started going more through the wings, through those fast and easy goals, and that is handball for me. I really like that, so you don't have to stand there in attack and struggle, because in some situations, in some moments, you simply push the ball through to the wing,” says Šoštarić.

“At least here, at this club, we have freedom. We can shoot even from small angles. We don't have to look for a big, clear chance, but we can also shoot from the wing from some half-chances and try because the coach simply trusts us that much,” adds Šoštarić.

A lot of what happens on the right side also depends on his connection with the right back and Šoštarić sees that relationship as one where both players need to trust each other and recognise what the defence is giving them.

“The right back has to trust you and you also have to trust him. Maybe in some situations, when you see that the opposing players are closing the back court player a little more, you tell him to give you one quick ball to the wing and he simply has to trust that you're going to score,” he explains.

“In the same way, when you have a match where some teams prepare more for me and close me down, I suggest that he goes one-on-one more because more space will open for him. We also like to argue a little that we, wings, never get enough balls, but it's always good-natured.”

His position also gives him a different view of what is happening around him, while most of the focus is elsewhere. With a little more time in certain situations, Šoštarić has a clear view and uses it to help his side.

“I like to support my teammates in both good and bad moments. When things aren't going well for them, maybe I recognise it a little earlier during the match because I have a little more time, so I try to motivate them and help them in that way,” says Šoštarić.

“And, of course, from the wing you can see certain things, where teams leave gaps or where the line player can run through, so then maybe I point that out.”

However, when the ball eventually reaches Šoštarić, he does not want to have the next move planned ahead. He tried deciding on his shot in advance earlier in his career and realised it did not work for him, so he prefers to wait for the goalkeeper and react to what he sees.

“I always make decisions in the moment, never in advance, because whenever I tried to decide in advance, it wasn't successful. Especially from the wing, you simply have to look at the goalkeeper's position at that moment. He reacts and then a small opening appears where you see there is space, and you try to put the ball there,” explains the Croatian international.

Being taller and having longer arms gives Šoštarić an advantage from the wing, making him stand out sometimes between the wingers, and he does not have one particular shot that he saves for the important moments.

“I don't have a particular shot that I prefer or that I use in key moments. I simply use the shot that presents itself and I believe in all the shots I have,” says Šoštarić.

Experience has also changed the way Šoštarić prepares for goalkeepers as there are not many at this level he has not already faced several times, while an unfamiliar goalkeeper requires more studying of his positioning and reactions.

“I definitely rely more on my own feeling because I've already played many times against the vast majority of goalkeepers and I roughly know how they react.”

“I trust my feelings more and what happens at that moment on the court than some prepared video analysis. Maybe the goalkeeper reacts differently to you than to another wing, so I can't assume that he will react to me the way he reacted to another player,” he explains.

On a fast break, Šoštarić once again has to read the goalkeeper, although with more space in a one-on-one situation he can also have the opportunity to try a spin shot or another finish he would not normally use from the wing.

“A fast break, in my opinion, is one of those situations where you're one-on-one with the goalkeeper and you're expected to score. I really like to look at the goalkeeper there, but those are the situations where there is an opportunity for a spin shot or some shot like that which you don't take from the wing.”

The approach changes from seven metres, where he is trying to influence the goalkeeper's reaction and get him to move in the direction he wants.

“From seven metres, you have to make the goalkeeper do what you want him to do. I would say seven-metre throws are more difficult. You really have to have your seven-metre shots well prepared and you have to be in a good rhythm from seven metres.

“You have to be consistent when taking seven-metre throws and have confidence in yourself that what you're going to do will be enough to make the goalkeeper go to the other side.”

Defence is also an important part of Šoštarić's game and, playing in the number one position, he can find the energy he needs for the match at that end of the court as well. On a day when his first shot does not turn into a goal, stealing a ball can give him the push he needs.

“If I don't start the match with a goal, then it really means a lot to me if I manage to steal a ball or do something good in defence. If I manage to do that, it lifts you a lot in the match, it can give me energy,” says Šoštarić.

Šoštarić describes himself as an emotional, highly motivated and temperamental player, especially when it comes to important matches and moments. Some of those same qualities were also what he enjoyed watching in one of the players he looked up to when he was younger.

During his years in Slovenia, Vedran Zrnić was one of the first right wings whose game caught his attention, when Zrnić was playing in Prule Ljubljana. Later, Šoštarić followed Ivan Čupić and particularly liked the intensity, emotion and temperament he brought to the game.

Čupić also played in Velenje, Šoštarić's first club, and that connection gave him a chance to learn from someone he already looked up to.

“I always followed and watched them. And Čupić played at the club where I played in Velenje, so I could also learn a lot from him. I used to tell myself: one day I would like to play like him,” says Šoštarić.

Luc Abalo was another player he followed, with a completely different part of his game catching Šoštarić's attention: “I always used to say: look at how that man jumps, what kind of goals he scores,” adding, “Those were some of the players I followed the most in my early years, and later I started looking more and more at myself and my own game.”

One influence that has stayed with him comes from outside handball — NBA Legend Kobe Bryant. Mamba Mentality reflected a way of thinking that Šoštarić believes every athlete should have.

“I think his mentality is the mentality every athlete has to have: belief in yourself and not giving up. The way he always believed in himself. It's really incredible.

“When you have the mental strength that he had, I think then you can say that only the sky is the limit. I really believe that if you believe in yourself, when you've repeated one thing a million times, it simply has to work.”

The same belief is there when the responsibility to score falls on him, but instead of the pressure — which he doesn't have — in those moments the crowd and everything happening around him fades and only the goal is on his mind.

“I've always had only the goal in sight. I simply don't hear the crowd, I don't hear anything around me, I just focus. I go into my own little bubble and I believe in myself that I'm going to score, and that's it.

“This is what I wanted. I was born for this. I've been doing it since I was a kid and I don't know why I would feel very nervous,” admits Šoštarić.

And when the ball does end up in the goal, there is another familiar part of Šoštarić's story — the “Super Mario” nickname. It's a connection to his late father Pave and, today, to the Szeged fans. The familiar music from the game accompanies his goals in Szeged and has become part of the tradition around it.

Asked whether that part of his story gives him an additional boost, Šoštarić believes it might.

“Maybe, yes. I have to say that I like that nickname. From, as you mentioned, my dad Pave to the fans here in Szeged and everything around it, it has been with me throughout my whole life and I think it always will be,” says Šoštarić.

Photos © Eliza Sólya (main & in-text), Lau Nielsen (first and fifth in-text), Foto: Casper Theilgaard (last in-text)

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