The selector of the Serbian national team, Tony Gerona, announced the list of players he is counting on at the start of the qualifications for the European Championship in 2022. Rivals of the „eagles“ will be the selections of Greece (4.11 – Zrenjanin) and Belgium (7.11) in the group which also includes the selection of France.
In a conversation for the website of the Handball Federation of Serbia, the selector shared his thoughts on the next action and the period from the end of June, when he was promoted to the new chief of the professional staff of the Serbian team.
When you start a business, it is essential to create the best possible image. On a daily level, I follow the players, I try to look at everything I can, to gain insight into their qualities. There are talented players who play both in Serbia and abroad. In the last three weeks, I have been more focused on the matches that await us. This week will be important also because of the cooperation within the expert staff, so that we can divide the roles for some future period. It is not easy to work through zoom. The first idea was to make a wider list, a list of 35 players. So far I have talked to almost everyone, there are one or two more players left. This list is not only mine, we came to it in a conversation within the expert staff. We meet regularly, every ten days, we talk about the players, we follow their games in the clubs. I am also in contact with some coaches. We have problems with kovid, some guys were injured, it was not easy to shorten the list in such circumstances, but I can say that all the players on the list are ready to help the team. And those to whom I told that they will not be at this first action, I believe that they will continue to work in clubs with the desire to be invited. We are in a specific situation, we have 18 players on the list, we don’t know if everyone can respond, but I am sure that we will have 18 players in Belgrade at the beginning of November ready for these two matches.
The greatest attention of the public is caused by the return to the national team of players who were part of the silver generation of Serbian handball, such as Petar Nenadić and Marko Vujin, and there are also Ilija Abutović, Petar Đorđić and others. What were the conversations with them like?
The national team should be composed of players who will be able to give more options and higher quality at any time. It is clear that Petar, Marko, as well as Ilija, are players who have a very good past, and I believe the present. We can’t talk about some distant future, they are not young, but in the next two or three years they can help us on the field and be a kind of mentor to younger players. When I talked to them, I said clearly that they needed to help the team. No one plays for more than 60 minutes. If you want to keep a level you have to rotate the player. Their quality gives us more options in the game, and the experience can be of great help to the team at the moment.
You scouted rivals, Greeks and Belgians, what kind of matches do you expect?
It will be a real fight with the Greeks. Believe me, they always fight, they have that warrior spirit expressed, they run a lot, they do everything at full intensity, they have different players, a good right back shooter, a good middle back, they are a complete team. Accordingly, we will have to commit 100% all 60 minutes to do something good. We have an advantage considering the players we have, but I also expect a serious approach to the match. The Belgians are different, they have more tactical options, they play a lot 7 on 6, they have experienced players who play in France and other leagues. They are not physically strong like the Greeks, but they are more tactically diverse. It will be a different match, especially since we are playing away. We have practically only one day after Greece to prepare the away match. That is why we have already prepared video materials, and the guys will get to watch it so that they know what to expect even before they come to the gathering – Gerona is clear.