Luc Abalo: 'Nothing dramatic'
Paris Saint-Germain Handball right-winger Luc Abalo gave us his thoughts on Les Rouge et Bleus' encounters against Barcelona, also speaking about the impending Euros, which take place in January.
Psg.fr: At the beginning of December, you finished the first part of the season in the Velux EHF Champions League. What is your assessment of that, especially after the two defeats against Barcelona?
Luc Abalo: Barcelona did better than us at the start of the season, as they beat us in both matches. This should not be seen as a failure; these defeats must move us forward. We have to analyse what went wrong and correct it. I hope we get to face them again in this edition of the competition.
Were they the team that caused you the most problems?
Obviously... In other seasons, we didn't lose a single game in the first part of the tournament and in the end, we didn't go on to win the Champions League. So there is nothing dramatic about our situation. You just have to ask the right questions to move forward. They are real candidates for the title. We played some good handball against them. But we lost, and so we have to keep working.
In January, you will be competing in the Euros with the France. How is it looking?
It's going to be very interesting! There are some great teams. This will be my last European Championship, but I will prepare for it in the same way as the others: I want to be at the top physically and in terms of my game. We want to win this competition maintain the momentum we have built with the France team.
You will also have to fight for your place in the team for the Olympic Games...
If we win this Euro, we'll qualify. We have the squad to do it... Everyone thinks about it and would like to qualify quickly. But we must not skip the steps. There will be other games to play before the final. We must not get into the wrong fight. We want to be careful not to focus our energy in the wrong place.
Is that a real objective?
Of course! Of course! When you're a sportsman, you need goals. Mine is to be good at bringing the maximum to the team. Everyone wants to win the Olympics!
Whatever the outcome of your career, it seems you're very serene and happy...
You need serenity. I'm secure in the knowledge that I'm doing something I like. Everything has an end and you have to know how to welcome it. You have to accept it.
Check out the first part of our video interview with Luc Abalo.
(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)