Silver medalist at the EHF EURO 2008, Spain confirmed its rise to the top of international handball last year at the World Championship by reaching the semi-final again.
The Spanish captain and line player Begoña Fernández talks about her hopes for another great result in Denmark and her dreams about the Olympics. ehf-euro.com: "What is your goal in this year’s European Championship?"
Begoña Fernández: "Our goal is to perform at the same level as during the last two years. I would love to qualify for another semi-final or final. My dream would be to win this tournament and thus qualify for the Olympics. I would die of happiness in that case! I’ve never played at the Olympics, and this EHF EURO 2010 is a really important step on the way to 2012. But to win this competition will be extremely difficult for us." ehf-euro.com: "Group A can be considered as the most difficult one in the preliminary round. How do you see your chances against Denmark, Romania and Serbia?"
Begoña Fernández: "It’s a very tough group, and it will be very difficult to qualify even if we give 100%. Denmark will play on home soil. The first game against Romania will be crucial. To me, Romania is our strongest opponent. But an opening match is always a bit strange, as you never know what will happen…" ehf-euro.com: "The silver medal at the previous European Championship was the best result ever for Spain. What has made the Spanish team so successful since 2008?"
Begoña Fernández: "I think it’s a mix of positive elements, regarding the technical staff and the team. We’ve always been aware of having a limited squad, but we managed good results because we fought together and showed great team spirit. We were a team with ambitious people who really wanted to win together. Our current squad is much the same, as we are united and we know each other very well. This is something very important before a competition. It’s the key to success. When I started my first championship, the EHF EURO 2004, our squad had changed a lot. Many of us were young and inexperienced and we were wondering what we could manage. Then we became more and more experienced and finally, after a couple of years, we achieved what we had hoped for at the beginning." ehf-euro.com: "Has the way your opponents perceive you changed?"
Begoña Fernández: "I believe so, especially after the fourth place at the last World Championship. It was a confirmation of our ability, and we proved that the European silver medal was not just a fluke. Because of those two results we earned more respect from the other nations. Now our opponents prepare for their matches against us more seriously and look at our strengths more carefully. The best example of that was the World Championship semi-final. France had studied our game so well that we really had a lot of difficulties." ehf-euro.com: "But at the same time you probably have more self-confidence now after those two great results…"
Begoña Fernández: "Yes, and more experience, but in spite of that I think it’s more complicated today. We haven’t got the best players of the world at the different positions. But we do have one of the best defences and we´re dependent on that. In Spain we need a great defence to achieve good results…" ehf-euro.com: "How would you define your playing style?"
Begoña Fernández: "Apart from the defence, we are a fighting team, and we battle a lot. We take advantage of every little space we can find. We have few players who are able to shoot from long distance, so we need to use other means, like the breakthroughs or the plays with line-players, to score many goals."By: Grégory Tervel, 15.11.10
