Marsenic: “We do not only have artists — we also have workers”

“We do not only have artists — we also have workers,” says the cornerstone of Füchse’s defence, Serbian international Mijajlo Marsenic. “And those workers contribute to the team’s success as well as all others.”

Marsenic has been part of the Füchse squad since 2018. The line player is one of three Berlin players to have won the EHF Champions League title, along with Dejan Milosavljev (Vardar 2019) and Manuel Strlek (Kielce 2016). Back in 2017, Marsenic raised the trophy with Vardar. 

“In the end, it is the same situation for Füchse now as we had with Vardar eight years ago: We arrive in Cologne as the underdogs, and we all know that in LANXESS arena, everything can happen. Rarely, the favourites won in the end. So of course, we aim for the trophy, but we are humble, as only teams with the highest quality are part of the EHF FINAL4. And we count on huge support from our fans.”

After eliminating Aalborg in a dominant way in the quarter-finals, Füchse Berlin will lock horns with HBC Nantes in the semi-final on 14 June. 

“Nantes proved to be a top-class team, with strong players and a lot of experience. They run a lot,” says Marsenic. “No matter which team we face, we have to win twice to be on the podium on Sunday night.”

It is not only because of their impressive performance in the EHF Champions League that Berlin will arrive in Cologne full of confidence: They are on an unbeaten streak of 13 matches in the Bundesliga and lead the ranking, equal on points with MT Melsungen and one ahead of SC Magdeburg — the other German side at the EHF FINAL4 this year.

“Right now, we are really strong. The team fits on the highest level, mainly thanks to our high-speed attack and the huge number of goals we score. And we know that if we concede less than 28 goals, we normally win a match.” 

Sometimes, in the training sessions, even the defence boss is surprised by how fast Berlin play. “But it is true what they say — only defence wins trophies, and this saying is even more relevant in Cologne, where usually the teams do not score that much.”

Therefore, the Serbian axis with goalkeeper Milosavljev and Marsenic is highly important: “We both know our importance for the team, as every player knows his exact role. And it is not only the number of saves, but the saves in the psychologically right moments, which decide a match. And our goalkeepers are experts in this.” 

In the first leg against Aalborg, Füchse were down 7:13 in the middle of the first half, and Marsenic was on the bench after two two-minute suspensions. “I knew that we would turn this match around. In the beginning, Niklas Landin stood in our way, but when we started to increase the efficiency in attack, I said at half-time: ‘We will win by five.’ Ultimately, we won by eight.”

One turning point in the season for Marsenic was the 31:38 defeat in Bucharest in the group phase.

“We thought we could manage to win without giving 100 percent, and we hit the floor the hard way. This match changed our attitude.” After the defeat in the Romanian capital, Berlin won six of their seven remaining group matches, including in the fortresses at Paris and Veszprém, and against the group A runners-up Sporting CP. In the play-offs, Berlin eliminated Kielce, then Aalborg in the quarter-finals.

“We have proved our strength and quality against top teams, and I really hope we can continue playing this way in Cologne,” says Marsenic.

At the age of 32, the Serbian defence specialist is exactly one year older than Füchse coach Jaron Siewert — which is nothing major according for Marsenic:

“This is not a problem at all. Jaron phoned me when he arrived in 2020, and right after this phone call I knew that it would work. No matter if a coach is 30 or 60 years old, it is about his expertise, his way of communicating and the way he prepares the team for the next opponents. And in all those matters, Jaron is simply brilliant, especially in the way he talks to the players. So I really hope that his and our hard work this season pay off in Cologne.”

Photos: Heiko Voigt / Foto Lächler