Flash quotes: group A media calls, 15 January

BERLIN - Comments from France head coach Guillaume Gille (FRA) and left back Nikola Karabatic (FRA) and centre back Kentin Mahé (FRA) at a media call on Monday.

FRANCE

Guillaume Gille (FRA) - head coach

On the impact of the draw with Switzerland:
“It was a short night, there a lot of thinking. On our game, because it was not good enough, but also on how we can use it for the near future.

“We played average at best yesterday, sometimes it was really bad. We want to do better. Today, our mindset is positive, looking towards the future and the energy we will have to put in the game against Germany. This game is the first turning point in this EURO and we are very excited about it.”

On Germany:
“They are a very stable team, Germany clearly benefited from Dusseldorf, with a lot of positive energy. To be frank, they dismantled Switzerland and that definitely put them on the right tracks.

“They are confident, they play at home, very dangerous, a good mix of old and young players. They seem dangerous, a lot of talent. [Juri] Knorr was a very important player, there are very eight or nine important players.”

On the players missing a lot of shots:
“One training is not enough to make those shots better. Handball is about confidence, about having it or not. My players are competitors, they are mature players and they know their performances were  not enough. They have to improve in every area of the game and I know they will react.”

On the importance of the Germany game tomorrow:
“It is a turning point because we are not qualified yet. Through the result, we will know in which conditions we will qualify for the main round. Given the teams we should play against, we definitely need those two points. We will have a better idea about ourselves tomorrow night. It’s going to be a tough game, the fans will definitely be against Germany.”

On the impact Germany had on him:
“I left Chambéry at 26, but I was still in the need to grow up. The Bundesliga puts you on the edge all the time, there is a lot of good teams and my time there helped me growing up. I ended up more stable, I won titles with Hamburg, a club that I invested in a lot for it to grow. I have a lot of memories even though I don’t come back in Hamburg often.”

Nikola Karabatic (FRA) – left back

On his 350th game for France, against Switzerland:
“I did not even know it was my 350th, I saw it afterwards on social medias. It could have been better, it could have been worse too, we could have lost the game yesterday. It was disappointing game, with a bittersweet taste in the mouth in the end.

“I feel like we handled it in the second half but we did not nail it. This result does not change much before the Germany game, as a win tomorrow will get us a main round ticket with two points. But if we are not strong enough mentally, we might be in trouble if we want to go further in the competition.”

On what France missed against Switzerland:
“Our efficiency offensively, the fact we did not play quick enough in the second [half], this is what we missed. We did not do enough fastbreaks, as this is usually our DNA. I don’t feel like the defence was the problem. Sure, playing six against seven is tough and it breaks the rhythm. But I feel like we missed too many opportunities in the second half.”

On France not looking as confident as they might have before:
“Perhaps our team has not shown confidence as we did in the last two competitions. In 2022, we looked like we were sure of our strength, beating our opponents with big margins. But in the meantime, this is just the beginning of the competition.

“We do not judge ourselves whether we destroy other teams or not. We have to make progress. We saw in the other games of the EURO that anyone can beat anyone and this is where we’re at.”

On their final preliminary round opponents, Germany:
“You can feel Germany has a lot of positive energy, I saw that a lot against Switzerland. I did not watch too much of their game against [North] Macedonia. The fact that they have a younger team takes off some pressure, and when you add the fact that they are playing at home makes a good mix. They are really in the zone at the moment.”

Kentin Mahé (FRA) - centre back

On his relationship with Germany:
"This is the country I was born in and where I grew up. My wife was born here, my second kid was born 20 kilometres from Düsseldorf. I feel a mix between the two cultures, even though they are quite similar. Germany has shaped me as a man, in the way that I spent all my youth here. I even almost played for their national team before choosing France, the country that my father represented when he was still a player."