Vincent Gérard: 'Not the worst-off'

News

Before playing host to Chartres on Sunday afternoon, Vincent Gérard spoke to us about the rescheduled Lidl Starligue round 9 clash. The Paris Saint-Germain Handball 'keeper discussed several subjects, including the pandemic.

Psg.fr: Even though you didn't play, what did you think of the team's performance against Créteil (27-40)?
Vincent Gérard: We started well in all sectors and we immediately created a lead. We quickly understood that we weren't going to lose and we were able to work calmly, without straining our mental resources. It's satisfying to have won two points on the road.

Yann Genty had a very good performance with 21 saves. Did that make you happy?
When you make more than 20 saves, it's because we had a great game. I'm happy because it's his first big performance with Paris. It put the team on the right track and made the afternoon easier. He's an old hand in the championship. Even though we've never played together before, we've been playing against each other for a long time. We have no problem working together and getting along. We have the same goals, be it in the Lidl StarLigue or the EHF Champions League.

Your league form is nothing short of perfect! Are you sending a strong message to your competitors?
We try to take the points when we have the opportunity to take them. So far, it's going well, since we've won all nine of our matches. That's very good! In terms of health and COVID-19, we've always been healthy enough to play our matches, so we have to congratulate the whole squad for that. We have to protect ourselves to protect the league.

Is this the most difficult season of your career, when you're never 100% sure a match will go ahead?
It weighs pretty heavily... Every time we're tested, we wait anxiously for the results, for us and for our opponents. It lasts until the day before the game... It's a bit difficult psychologically. You have to prepare yourself as if you were going to play; even though that's tough, sometimes the match goes ahead. But we are not the worst-off in this situation. We're lucky enough to be able to continue doing what we love.

You also have some responsibilities in your position as President of the Union of Professional Handball Players (AJPH). Do you get feedback from other players?
Yes! With my partners, we are in the middle of all this. We are trying to work with the league to have consistency in this championship. We found the necessary adjustments since about 75% of the matches have been played. It's difficult for everyone. Some teams have played a lot less less. I hope it doesn't last too long.

In sporting terms, you seem be in very good shape. How do you feel?
I feel great! Yann was away for a few games and I was able to play a lot. I performed well, so I'm satisfied. The two matches in Porto allowed me to play some high intensity minutes. I'm happy to have brought something to the team and to have performed well. We all continue to work together to go as far as we can.

In January, there will be the World Cup in Egypt. How do you see the French team and its new coaching staff?
The last time we saw each other was in January, in difficult conditions ... We only met up with the new staff in November. We started to rebuild, as we do after every failure. It's necessary to analyse what has not worked, and it's important not to hide from the truth. We are all to blame for the poor performance at the Euros. In high-level sport, good will is not always enough. But we are going to do all we can to get there.

Check out the first part of our video interview with Vincent Gérard.

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)