While the other French teams are finishing their summer preparation, Fenix Toulouse will be the first to start official matches this weekend, in the European League.
Last year, Aix found itself trapped in late European qualifying. While the EHF had invited the PAUC to take part in the European League preliminary round in mid-July, Thierry Anti’s men flew to Irun with only three weeks of handball in their legs, before there. be eliminated in a dry match. For Toulouse, this summer, the situation is a bit similar, even if, unlike the Aixois last season, the Toulouse residents were not affected by the Covid and were therefore able to train normally. “We learned on the last day that we finished sixth and therefore, that we would surely be European. At that time, we had already stalled the preparation, the friendly matches, so we had to cancel some to be able to play these two matches ” Explain Danijel Andjelkovic, who begins his first summer preparation as number one on the Toulouse sidelines.
The former center-half, who played at Fenix from 2010 to 2016, took over from Philippe Gardent, to whom he was assistant for five years. Even if, for him, the club no longer has any secrets, the Serbian admits that it took him a small period of setting up in early summer. “I have accumulated a lot of experience and learned a lot with Philippe, but I was not responsible. There, it’s still a little different, there are a lot of things to manage. I still have the impression of making progress every day ” he explains. This summer, President Dallard trusted 100% local staff, with former club players at the helm. Andjelkovic is assisted by former center-half Rémi Calvel while another former playmaker, Romain Ternel, has taken control of the training center. “With Rémi, we take our marks slowly. We’ve been in the same office for two years, so we know each other well. We are now learning to work together, but everything is going pretty well ” smiles Andjelkovic, who explains that his method will not deviate that much from that of his predecessor.
The Fenix, the UFO of the Starligue
Fredric Pettersson (Montpellier HB) // Photo credit: Panoramic / K. Domas
–
Indeed, in terms of recruitment, the new coach has been looking for the Spaniard Erik Balenciaga, with a style while speed comparable to that of Luc Steins. A playmaker on which Raul Gonzalez, the coach of Paris Saint-Germain, also always has a close eye. “We also took two pivots who know how to hold the position, Fredric Pettersson (photo) and Tobias Wagner, players who are able to play on both sides of the field. For now, you have to calm the guys in training because they are going almost too hard. I have a group that lives well, with smart guys, and that’s not the case every year ” details Andjelkovic, who must integrate five new recruits in total this summer, adding the goalkeeper Robin Cantegrel and left-back Erwin Feuchtmann. In past years, judicious recruitment had enabled Fenix to outperform its budget, hanging Europe last June with a budget among the smallest in the championship. “We can say that these last two seasons, we have done a great job with the means we have. If we manage to finish sixth again, to play the European Cup again, that will suit us very well ” Adjelkovic advances.
But before that, it will therefore be necessary to fully eat in the European League, a competition where Fenix had played the group stages last season, before being eliminated from the race to the quarter-finals for two small goals. In the opinion of his coach, this competition is not an objective in itself for the club: “When we see who we can take in the second round, we tell ourselves that we are still far from the group stage.” Before thinking about it, it will already be necessary to get rid of the Austrians of Hard, who have never been very far in the competition. But in this somewhat curious context of a preparation environment, mistrust reigns. “We know that we are not going to play the most beautiful handball on August 28, but on the other hand, I have confidence in my players to be real warriors” ends Andjelkovic. In Toulouse, it’s already time to put on the warming blue.
Kevin Domas
–
