Gerona: “EHF EURO summit of all the work we have done”

Serbia looked revitalised in qualifying for the EHF EURO 2022 when they beat Olympic champions France 27:24 and snatched a draw in the return fixture. However, their positive attitude did not shine at the EHF EURO after most of the main players were stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Qualifying for the main round at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship finally saw them take a step further but still were left disappointed.

“This EHF EURO is coming in different circumstances than the last one, when we had a catastrophic situation with Covid-19. The World Championship a year later was one step forward but we were left disappointed as we did not reach the quarter-finals and did not have a chance to fight for our placement in the end,” explains Gerona.

After more than three years of working together and sharing the same vision, Serbia hope they will finally be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour at the upcoming Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany.

“I see the upcoming EHF EURO as a summit of all the work we have done together in the last three and a half years we spent together. We have big expectations from this tournament. It’s not just about the European Championship and success there, but also about the possibility of playing at the 2024 Olympic Games, which is a dream for us,” says the Spanish coach.

After successfully navigating through the qualification phase where they were confident against Finland and Slovakia and had a narrow but important 25:24 win against Norway, before losing the reverse fixture, all eyes are on the upcoming event which will mark their 13th appearance at the European Championship.

Serbia have set clear goals. Not having a better placement than 12th at the Men’s EHF EURO 2018 in Croatia since their historic silver medal in 2012, they are eager to showcase their skills and to prove they belong among the best.

“The first goal should be and must be to be in the main round. Everything except that is a bad result. Especially when we look back on everything we have done and all the effort everyone in the national team is making,” says Gerona.

Being drawn to one of the most well-balanced groups at the Men's EHF EURO will be another obstacle they have to overcome, but also a tough group C can give them another push ahead of the important matches that would follow if they qualify. In Munich, Serbia will battle it out with Iceland, Hungary, and Montenegro.

“We know we are in a very equal group with opponents against whom we can lose and win all three. In my opinion, it is one if not the toughest group at the EHF EURO. There is no clear favourite who can claim an easy win. Small details will decide which two teams will progress to the main round.”

Serbia will throw off in the Olympiahalle against Iceland, sixth from the last EHF EURO and a team that fought hard at the 2023 World Championship. Icelandic players are coming with a new head coach, Snorri Gudjónsson, who replaced Gudmundur Gudmundsson in June 2023. Gudjónsson was part of the Icelandic team that won the bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2010 in Austria. Therefore, Gerona is aware of the dangers of a strong opponent at the start of the competition.

“Iceland made a huge improvement in the last years, and they have five or six top players who are determined and making all decisions in the game. They have main roles in their clubs while playing in the EHF Champions League. This gives you a clear image of the team we will face at the start of the competition. They also have a new head coach and we know he brought some small changes to the team.”

“We know we will need to make a good transition, especially in defence to stop their fast-paced game. We know how fast they will play. This will be the first match of the tournament. We know the first matches are always harder to play and not the best ones. I hope we will do our best and push Iceland and stop all their strengths,” adds Gerona.

Parallel to Serbia, Gerona was leading French Chartres Métropole Handball, since the start of the 2023/24 season, he has been dedicated only to the Serbian national team. He has focused on young talents, having gathered Serbia’ development team, a sort of second team of players who can be the future.

Apart from standard players like Dejan Milosavljev, Vladimir Cupara, Bogdan Radivojevic, Mijajlo Marsenic, Petar Djordjic and others, Serbia could line up young talents taking the court in Munich.

“We have our main group of players who are now in their thirties. They are mature players with experience and they know this is their chance to do something big. They have been together for a long time and their connection is our strength. Serbia also has a good future with many young talents. Unfortunately, some of them are injured but those who are ready and are working hard will for sure have their chance in the national team.”

With a strong team that has practically become a family, Serbia can show they can play well both offensively and defensively. However, Gerona says their strength could be the defence. Something that could finally put them on the map and on the place they deserve to be.

“We are able to play in different scenarios, but I would say our defence and goalkeepers are one of the strong points of our team. We know we have to be strong in defence to not let the other team score an easy goal. This gives us the possibility to play without pressure in the attack. We know how good we are in that part. However, this team proved in many situations that we can adjust and play a good offensive game,” says Gerona.

In the end, the most important thing for many of the teams competing at the European Championship is to have every player ready to play high-intensity matches, face their biggest challenges and enter the fray in the full ability to make a comeback if needed.

“From September we are tracking the players how they play in their clubs, and from December we are just hoping they will be injury-free and ready to fight at the major competition. I hope all of our players will be ready just like I wish the same for all the teams. EHF EURO is a big event and all spectators and handball lovers want to see the best on the court fighting for a medal,” says Gerona.

And who would be the favourites in Germany according to Gerona?

“I would say Denmark is one of the favourites. To that list I would add Spain, who are always competitive, France with all the stars, and hosts Germany. But there are always teams like Norway, Sweden, Netherlands who made a huge improvement, Portugal, Croatia. And I hope Serbia, too.”

photos © Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff images