Interview with David Davis

 

Telekom Veszprém will be able to prepare with a full squad this week after the handball world championship was over. We asked our head coach about the half season ahead of us, the world championship and about the goals and upcoming games.

 

 

It was so good. I am satisfied and proud of the players. I am more than happy because I could not have thought about this result at the start.

 

Really good. Before the start of the championship I thought that it would be a great accomplishment if we reach the main the round, or to perform well at the president cup. This was my first goal from the beginning of the season. It was fantastic because at the end, we played for 7th-8th place and I was so happy and proud. During the whole tournament, we played at the same level and it was enough to reach the main round. Because of the other results, we could play for a better placement. It is a big step for Egyptian handball. At the beginning, not many people were happy, but they changed later. I was very happy because I could not expect this result.

 

I could follow the Hungarian players because they were in my group but the other players I could not because there were a lot of matches and we had work to do. It was complicated to follow the other games. The Hungarian players were very good, everyone. From the others I heard that Mahé was playing really well, also Manaskov in the group phase. However, I could not see the games that is true.

 

 

The players worked hard during the whole week. At the end of the week, they were a bit tired, but this is how it works. They worked more physically than tactically because there were only a few of them. I talked to Carlos Perez every day and he sent me the reports. It was a normal procedure. We wanted to work more physical, and when the conditional trainer Sergio joined us, it became more professional. Once he joined the players did everything better. In this period, you always have to recharge a bit.

 

The players who played until last week need a little more rest but they need to join the team. This month is very sensitive, because there are players who played all the time. For example, Lékai is in a very high level of play-off feeling. On the other hand, Nenadic has not played a game in the last month and a half. The players are unbalanced. Also in physical form because those who stayed are going up, the ones who played in the world championships are going down. We need to balance this. It is very important because we have important games coming up in the domestic league and in the Champions League as well. We need to win as much games as we can, to reach the best possible spot in the group. Now with Sergio it is easier, because he can give me his professional point of view. We will try to balance everything.

 

It is going to be a complicated game. Our team has not played together for a month and a half. The first game after the break is always hard. Csurgó plays well and they know what they are doing. Also, their team stayed together, I do not know if they had any international players. They play at home, which is easier for them. I am satisfied with the trainings; we had a good one yesterday with almost all the players. It is going to get better and better. We are going to prepare for the match as always, full power and to win. It is not going to be easy, I am for sure about that.

 

 

First, I would like the Csurgó game to pass and then focus on Barca. It is going to be an important game for us and I am sure our Supporters are ready to give them a big “welcome” Hungarian style. (Laughs) We are going to put them under pressure. Everyone would like to play against Barca because it is a derby. We play at home and if we want to win and reach the second position, or even the first it is our next step to beat Barcelona. Win all the games at home, and win the ones in away. Barca had a lot of players with the national team, they have some injured players so we will see how they are. We will fight every second, on every centimeter of the court to beat them. We have one week and I think it is enough to prepare. We will see how the players are and what we can do, but we are going to prepare to win.

 

It does not depend on the break, it depends on the competition. A lot of teams played great. Barcelona, Paris or Szeged. The break is sometimes good, but sometimes not. Every team was affected by this break. I think this break was good for us, to start again. The break is always good because it is in the middle of the season. If your head is full with the matches and handball, you can start again. I think it is good to have a small break.

 

Win every match. We must know where we go. Where we go is to win the Hungarian league and Cup, and to qualify for the Final4. The goals must always be the same. In a Club like Veszprém, with these possibilities and these players, the goal must always be there and we need to focus on it. We have injured players, we have to see what we can do, and the players are tired and does not have rhythm. It does not matter. Our goal must be the same and we should not lose this focus.

 

Thank you!

 

 

Photo: Dávid Vörös