Didije Dinar, a handball legend, a boulder of almost two meters, for many years a nightmare for many attackers, world champion as a player and coach, was officially presented as the new coach of Montenegro
"Good day, Montenegro", were the first words that Dinar addressed to the journalists in the Montenegrin language.
The legendary "number three" of France, one of the symbols of handball, a man with ten medals from the biggest competitions, will lead Montenegro - what is it that attracted Dinar to the bench of "lions".
"Montenegro has a lot of quality. I watched the previous matches, the qualifiers among others, and maybe I recognized the reason why we failed to qualify," Dinar said at the press conference.
He also spoke specifically about what he recognized...
"In principle, the potential should be recognized and used, to get the most out of it. There are things that need to be modified in the defense and attack system. A good deal of work has already been done in terms of video analysis, in order to show the players some mistakes. In a high-level sport, you should always have good performances and see what can be improved," the new selector is clear.
The first impression from the conversation with the famous Frenchman is that the "lions" will "resemble" their coach from now on - that everything will start from defense.
"You should always work on defense. It is very difficult to score more goals, and it is much easier and more efficient to concede less goals. We should pay special attention to the defensive - previously, Montenegro crossed too much in defense and we will pay attention to that," he said. is Dinar.
We should always look at ourselves
Dinar will not have much time until the first game - on Wednesday, Montenegro starts qualifying for the European Championship, and the first rival is Finland in Podgorica.
"First of all, I am proud to be the coach of Montenegro and we are immediately starting to prepare for the qualifications for the European Championship. All the players are arriving healthy and the first game is waiting for us very soon", stressed Dinar.
Are two days enough for quality preparation?
"Every EHF week is similar, we have little time, we need to be as precise as possible and do as many things as possible. We are playing against Finland, but today in handball every national team is playing. It is very important that we qualify for the European Championship".
Four days later, the "lions" will have a duel with Slovakia in Košice - will the new coach be focused on the game of his boys or will he adapt to the rivals?
"We should always look at ourselves, but of course we have to analyze the opponent in order to answer him as best as possible".
What kind of Finland awaits Montenegro in the "Bemax Arena" (18 p.m.).
"This is a quality national team. They have two tall defenders, the Granlund brothers, very good shots, they have good ball circulation in attack. The defense should be focused on them. We will work on that".
The system does not change in the short term
After several related major competitions, Montenegro (due to Italy) will not be at the next World Championship, so placing at the EHF Euro is the first goal.
"There is great potential in the players, but we need to go gradually. We cannot change the entire system in such a short time - we will go step by step".
As a coach, Dinar led France to the top of the world without defeat in 2017 - on the bench of one of the strongest teams in the world, the goal was always the title, now it is clear that he will not have such pressure. Will it be easier for him for that reason?
"Nothing is easy. It is always necessary to be focused on the goals of a certain national team and to give the maximum with what you have," Dinar believes.
Montenegro was left without its first pivot after Nemanja Grbović said goodbye to the red jersey. However, Dinar believes in the guys who stayed.
"We will use what we have - there is Vuk Lazović, Miodrag Ćorsović, Luka Vujović... We will give time to see some others. We need to pay attention to the transition, how to run a counter well from the defense".
Lions fans? Very nice picture
Dinar also spoke about the atmosphere in the team.
"You need to be precise and concrete with the players, in general it is important to be positive in that relationship".
He is also familiar with the atmosphere from the stands that follows the "lions".
"I really like that relationship, and it creates additional pressure and responsibility - certainly a very nice picture and a nice experience that I noticed, Dinar concluded.
Kapisoda: I wanted a selector from one of the best systems in the world
The President of the Handball Association of Montenegro, Petar Kapisoda, reiterated that finances were not decisive in bringing the Dinars.
"I wanted a coach who comes from one of the best systems in the world. Not that the result would always be imperative for us, but because we needed someone who is able to set up a system of defense, attack, discipline," Kapisoda pointed out and added:
"Our finances have not changed, our budget has been more or less the same for years. Dinar has nothing more than his predecessors. We allowed him to lead the club, Ivri in France, he accepted the offer".
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His arrival opens up new possibilities, according to the first man of our handball.
"I think he is able to bring France to us for preparations, so that maybe we can visit them," emphasized Kapisoda.
Ševaljević: I have a lot to offer in my new role
Vasko Ševaljević was also officially introduced - the former captain of Montenegro is the new sports director of the national team, and as someone who played in France for a long time, he will also be Didier Dinar's right hand.
"You know that I have always worked honestly and to the best of my ability. In the Association, they decided that I should take on the role of director and help in the development of Montenegrin handball, especially the national team, which is an honor and a pleasure for me. I said that I will always be there for Montenegrin handball and I'm sure I won't disappoint, because I have a lot to offer in this role as well," said Ševaljević, who also acted as a translator at today's press conference.
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