The water polo national team of Montenegro finished the qualification tournament for the World Cup in fourth place.
The "Sharks" started their performance in Romania and ended it with a defeat against Greece. Between those two meetings, they defeated Serbia, France and the United States of America, while they were defeated by Spain in the semi-finals.
Head coach Dejan Savić, as he points out, has seen both good and bad things in the game of our national team.
"Impressions are in oscillations or changeable, just like the overall game of Montenegro. Given that there was little time, that was understandable. We will try to fit in with the optimism. The positive things are that we saw that we can play well , above all in defense. However, we don't have enough seconds in the opponent's attack, where we conceded easy goals. The positive things are the quick reaction, above all my voice, which was also negative, because in some situations I couldn't really hear myself," said Savić and added:
"I'm sorry that we didn't play with all national teams, first of all with Hungary and Croatia. That would round off this tournament, make it even more successful," said Savić.
Montenegro has had setbacks, and Savić points out that a lot can be learned from defeat.
"I stand by the fact that you can learn from a loss. We start the defense well, and then there is a drop in concentration in the last seconds. I think that against the Greeks we had a drop in the third quarter in the first game, and in the second match with them, a drop in the second period. Spain at the very beginning and to some extent in the third quarter. We saw where the holes are, that is, where they are "pulling a draft".
Montenegro will host the Superfinal from April 11 to 13. "Ajkule" will play Croatia in the quarter-finals, and Hungary, Spain, Greece, Japan, Germany and the Netherlands will also participate in the tournament. Matches are played in Budva and Kotor.
"Croatia showed intensity, they played closely with Spain. They also showed a high level of play. They will present great competition to the national team of Montenegro. Our relations are exceptional and we can expect exceptional cooperation. Every result is important, whether it is positive or negative, as long as positives and negatives are drawn. We are playing in the quarter-finals with the Croats, we will check another team that we did not play with in Romania qualified," said Savić.
Montenegro will feel the pressure in April, because it is also at stake to qualify for the World Cup.
"I'm not sure that the team is ready to play under the pressure and the burden of the domestic pool. On the other hand, we're still playing. The result is important, but if we look at it mathematically, we have fulfilled the goal, where we have increased the chances of qualifying for the World Cup. In essence, we can continue to see a moment of positive growth, above all in defense. Singapore," explained Savić.
The Sharks reunite in April.
"During the next days, we will know all the dates, because we have to fit in with the Regional League and the national championship, as well as with the games of Jadran and Primorje in European competitions. We have agreed to train with Germany and Japan before the tournament," concluded Savić.
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