The win and five defeats, 12th place, are the balance of Serbia’s participation in the European Championship in Croatia. For the first time since 2006, except for the silver medal at the 2012 EP in Belgrade, the Eagles went into the second phase.
In two weeks of their stay in Split and Zagreb they went through various stages, measured the strengths with the semi-finalists of the French and the Swedes, hosted Croatia, Norway, all the selections from the leading echelon, which clearly showed our current reality.
What does selector Jovica Cvetkovic say after all, what is the conclusion?
– Impressions are good, what we came for and achieved, which is the most important thing. Again, I am returning to the extremely difficult conditions under which we have done all this. A good impression is what we’ve all experienced here, we did not have any incidents, although we have been together for a long time, had a lot of problems with injury, player restitution, cancellation and everything else. Again, we pushed it all out, men, to the end.
What was good for these six games?
– We came to achieve our goal in a tense atmosphere, placement in the second phase. It should have been realistic then to put that reality in the right way.
And what is the reality?
– If we did not have some great opportunities, we knew that we were physically thin, the injuries and returnees of the players were irritated, the impotence … It was necessary to deploy the forces.
The first match against Croatia was the Cvetkovic exam:
– We know which tension was on both sides. In real terms, we could not expect to make a result against the host in these circumstances. By doing so, looking at what’s coming and, if possible, distributing the strengths for all three games, tactics and practically playing handball that I do not play, without a counter-attack where we changed three players, only to preserve freshness and strength.
At the gathering in October, you said that you are looking for players in both directions to avoid something like that, otherwise you will lose a point with what all the leading selections play?
– Before that match with Croatia, we played with the players, introduced them to what we want. Everything that was out of the field was working to keep the team undamaged, so that the defeat does not seem disastrous. After what happened later, we succeeded in doing so. I, because of the game I prefer, did not succeed, because of all these circumstances. In the first place was the result and we achieved it. We were close and against Sweden, but it was, at that moment, impossible. We were looking for a chance against Iceland and we found her. Especially against Croatia, we played a very slow handball that is not followed by this contemporary, who play the leading echelon representation, narrowly in attack, sometimes almost without wings.
I do not know where such a ruinous charge is in some of them
According to Jovica Cvetkovic from the continental championship when Serbia is in question, there are many positive things?
– Under these circumstances, it’s very difficult to see that. We have Jovanovic who has landed in the foreground, two goalkeepers. What is more that one could search for, we wandered for a long time about a pair of pivotmen, we found them in Beljanski and Marsenić. In some segments of the game, we showed quality, in the 6-0 zone, it did not work at all at a moment’s notice, in the attack there were liquids. Not long, but it was so. When it came to Croatia, we did not show brilliance, but we were not even a naive opponent. We got Island, the opponents who do it all. Two years ago, 17 Italians beat us, this must not be forgotten. Now we are them. Let’s look at nice things.
And one more thing:
– We have to find a young right-hand bug, work on it. We have to work as soon as we return. To choose whether we want to work or criticize. I do not know where such a ruinous charge is in some of them.
Is this perhaps the result of your misunderstanding with the players, or perhaps both?
– No, this was an adjustment to the situation, through everything I said before, I think I was very clear. In the first place was the result, not my love for the game it should be. You have to have players for something you want to accomplish when it comes to the game. Fast handball involves an awful lot of spending. I do not give up on him, but now I just adapted to the basic desire that we know how and we can get one game. Let’s find a way. Forsing the players in such a limited composition that we had, with injuries, the physical unwillingness of the team due to the returns of the injured, the giving up of some, simply forced me to do what we can at a given moment. We literally grabbed the straw.
The straw of salvation you say?
– Whether it was the most rugged handball in the world, I do not care at all, but to achieve the goal. The fact that I resent the beauty of the game, let’s go, we went on. What they talk about is lost by Croats, what’s the matter? We beat Island. It was not necessary for the Icelanders to beat the Swedes so they did. Therefore, we have achieved the goal, and the goal justifies the asset.
Again we did not see Mark Vujin as we expect him, nor Nenadić in the form from the Bundesliga … What happened here, did they not adapt to the circumstances, the settings?
We must take everything into account, let’s say that Nenadić was the last time before the preparation was simply „in the crazy“, moving from Germany to Vesprem, some private problems and that we had to meet him. Sesum suffered a grave injury, but in the last time we managed to get him to play, he did not train. Vujic was injured during the preparations, so we kept him. Without Vujina, we remained after the first game, without a single variation of the game. Nenadić is one of our most important players, but all this has influenced his game and form. All these problems are individually and grouply.
So, did you have a good understanding of the players or vice versa?
– There is nothing disputable about me and the player. We totally understood each other. In making the strategy of the game I had two types of attacks, one for deep, one for shallow zones, and we remained on one mixed mix. And, how does it work out in this situation? Extract from each player the maximum. We tried. I’m not saying that this was some kind of beauty of the game, but it’s not, but let’s not look at the success of our teeth now. Never before have we gone to the second stage.
Have you thought about resigning during the championship anytime?
– If I had never been here, I did not come to the situation where I was appointed for the match in two games, humiliating, he was a duty officer with no personal income for six months, and he was placed on the competition. What kind of interest does Jovica Cvetkovic have in this regard? Let these people decide hand in hand if Cvetkovic is doing what he has done, and no one has done so, plus or minus. People decide on the fate of the handball.
What’s his fate now?
– I hope the light is because I gave everything, as well as people from my professional staff to be so. The result is a plus, but it was very difficult. I did not have such an effort in my life. I do not care if anyone will take me away. My duty was to help the sport that gave me everything. They can talk about what they want about me and to moralize both this and that. I sacrificed a period, I wanted to give time and space to people in handball, to put a finger on the forehead and say we are going forward, not to argue, we are sipping for functions, but helping handball. That’s the essence. We are here for fifteen months, now we are by a step higher, the rest is not on me. I did my own, I can still if they allow me.
Tomorrow, in Zagreb, a lot of bribes for the SP next year, whom do you want?
– Time to work.
Do you think it will give it to you?
– What does anyone have to give me or not? Why would not I give it. I do not understand the basis for this question. I have a contract until 2020, my goals are set … And, opponents, whoever it is …
In Croatia, a few players were missing, in particular Ilija Abutovic, who is one of the best defenders he has taken and German champion Rein is not Leven, and is currently a member of European championship champions?
– That’s his problem, not mine. Abutovic was called, he canceled. When we compiled the team and began to work on the final preparations in Kovilovo, he was called again, he did not respond.
Why, what did he state as an explanation?
– Ask him. There was no reason to explain me. I wanted to gather all the best, every player who was in some kind of role through the qualifications, I accepted with a call. The one who has canceled it should ask him why he is. My wish is always to be the highest quality.
Source sport Zurnal