The French team challenges Sweden, Friday January 27 at 8:30 p.m., in the semi-finals of the world handball championships. A match to live in full in the show Europe 1 Sports (every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.). Eliminated by this same opponent in two of the last three international competitions, the Blues are aware of the task at hand. Guillaume Gille, the coach of France, believes that there will be “little room to qualify” but believes in it however.
Journalist : You find Sweden, who eliminated you at this stage of the semi-finals in two of the last three international competitions (World 2021 and Euro 2022)…
Guillaume Gilles : “It’s a wink in history, quite comical. We do indeed have negative memories of the Swedes. We are in a completely different context, committed to their cause. We have plenty to do, to be there you to compete and to do everything to get into the final.”
Journalist : Can you learn from these two eliminations?
Guillaume Gilles : “This negative experience has inevitably left traces. Now, the contexts are completely different, it’s complicated to refer to the past. A new battle is coming up against an opponent who has made us thwart lately. It’s up to us to put on a better face to win.”
Journalist : Are you outsiders?
Guillaume Gilles : “We don’t care. We are in the last four with just the desire to prolong the adventure and win. That’s what interests us, whether it’s Sweden or anyone else. Everyone has a chance tomorrow, the team that will be able to deliver the most coherent, complete game will advance to the final.”
Journalist : You will have to deliver your best match, not yet produced so far?
Guillaume Gilles : “We played great matches but all were inconsistent at times, with phases of lesser quality. There, clearly, playing the second host country (with Poland) at home to fight for a place in the final, we know that there will be little room. that this fight will be fierce that will require us to be at our best level. It does not matter if what we have done so far has been enough, that is what we will be able to do tomorrow which will be decisive.”