MADRID, 13 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The men's national handball coach, Jordi Ribera, trusted that his team will be able to leave behind the bad debut against Croatia to get back on track in the 2024 European Championship, where this Sunday they will face Romania, demonstrating as on other occasions that of “the hard moments” are capable of drawing “forward momentum.
“Yesterday was a tough day. We could have lost, but we were not where we should have been. We started badly and we did not find the aggressive defensive point. There was a big difference. We were able to correct things, but then the four goals in a row at the beginning of the second half allowed them to play calmly,” the coach acknowledged prior to the second day.
Ribera also pointed out the injury of Miguel Sánchez-Migallón, who was replaced by Viran Morros. “We had a painful defeat in addition to the loss of Miguel Sánchez-Migallón who was a very important element, for rotations, breaks, defensive changes. Miguel was the natural change for Viran, with his characteristics he entered the team,” he stated in statements provided by the Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM).
“We are a team that varies our defense a lot and being left without Migallón was being left without an alternative defense. We made the decision that that should be the change. We spoke with Viran, he is four hours away and he told me that he was preparing the car and was coming here Fortunately we have people who would do anything to be in the national team,” he added.
The 'Hispanos' coach recalled that they are a team that grows in the face of adversity, as well as being successful, in search of their fifth consecutive European final. “This is a team in which the players are aware of what happened and that there is still a way forward. Now we will have one more rival, who will be ourselves with our insecurities, and also the rival in front of us. If we are able to overcome that We will go up,” he said.
“Experience says that with this team the hard moments have always been a push forward. Not participating in the Games led to great results. We must learn to move forward, support ourselves with team spirit,” he added, without forgetting that Things can go even further wrong.
“Everything can still be very difficult for us, but it is up to us to change it. In 2022, Sweden qualified for the 'Main Round' in the last second and tying the game. Anything is possible, we are a team that won four days ago the bronze medal in Sweden and that we went from the quarterfinals in the last second. We are a team that has to get up, I still think that we have a team under construction and we are not used to hard blows,” he commented.
Furthermore, Ribera explained what he expects from the duel against the Romanians. “It is important to get back to the feeling, especially in defense. In attack we had fluid attacks, their defense did not allow us to play with continuity, the direction of our sport is going towards this way of playing, we have to adapt. The most important thing is to return to take defensive security and in goal, that allows us to be able to run, not always resort to positional play,” he explained.
“A Romania the same as yesterday, aggressive, in defense with alternatives. A very well organized team, with a great coach, has his team with a tactical discipline, very well assimilated. They also go up very well on the counterattack, they are going to put it to us difficult and especially because we come from a difficult moment and a rival that also lost,” he concluded.