Elohim Prandi: 'No time to rest on our laurels'

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On Wednesday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball play their rescheduled Lidl Starligue Round 6 match away to Tremblay. In the lead-up to the match, we talked about a number topics with our left-back Elohim Prandi.

Psg.fr: How was your time with the France set-up?
Elohim Prandi: Great! A wonderful experience! In spite of the matches' being postponed, we were able to devote ourselves to the style of play that the coach, Guillaume Gille, wants to put in place. We worked well! We played some matches among ourselves and we got a lot out of it. That's important because often we don't have time to prepare all that much, since we play a lot. So we were able to take more time and improve the details that were not right. There were a few last-minute absentees who were replaced by players who already knew the ropes with the national team, so it was a great group. We had a lot of fun.

So your last match was ten days ago, when you won against nearest rivals Limoges (42-20). Was it your best game of the season?
I don't know... In any case, we performed well for all 60 minutes of the game. We were able to bud a lead right from the start of the match. The result proves that we respected Limoges. We followed Raul Gonzalez's playing instructions well. The return of Luka [Karabatic] in defence did us a lot of good! He is one of the most difficult players to get past. When he is there, he brings a big physical impact. We concentrated well on defence, because it is in this area that we have encountered the most problems. We could have done better, but conceding only 20 goals is good. We need to keep that great performance and build on it.

Can you maintain this level in the league and the EHF Champions League?
Yes! But we still need to raise our level in all sectors, especially in the Champions League. Each time, we're not very far from victory, be it against Flensburg (28-29), against Meshkov Brest (32-31) or Kielce (35-33)... Our mentality is good. We're getting to know each other better and better. It's not every year that five new recruits arrive in key positions. We had to adapt...

You are one of those recruits. How do you feel here?
I feel good. I've learned a lot tactically since I've been here and that adds a few strings to my bow. I still want to work intensively while keeping my primary quality: long distance shooting. It wasn't easy at the beginning because I was inconsistent... I have to give myself the means to be better personally as well as for the team. It all comes down to work.

How's life in the squad?
I knew several players, with whom I got along well, before coming to Paris and that made my integration easier. As soon as I feel comfortable in a team, things go well and that's the case here. I need that!

On Wednesday, you will your rescheduled Lidl StarLigue match away to Tremblay. Is it too complicated to have so many postponements?
It's difficult to schedule all the games that have been postponed. The League has decided to continue without any fans in attendance and this is now our priority. We also have to prepare for other big matches, such as the Champions League Final4 that awaits us in December. We have no time to rest on our laurels. Everything is possible in this championship. There are very good players, with very good qualities. We are not immune from anything. We have to respect everyone if we want to win. We can get caught out by anyone, anytime.

By Tremblay?
Of course! If we are not careful, we don't know what can happen... We can quickly come unstuck. I think we need to focus on ourselves. If we do that, we'll perform well!

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)