Leader of the Blues and the Spanish club of Gran Canaria, Andrew Albicy delivers his feelings after the defeat of the France team in the final of the Euro.
What is the atmosphere within the group since the final?
Andrew Albicy : This morning (Monday), it’s still going… It’s not yesterday evening (Sunday), when we didn’t want to celebrate anything. We were a little disappointed, especially given the way we played this game. It is above all that. If we had fought, if we had seen that they were clearly above us, we would have had a different reaction… But there, we feel that we were just not ready for this meeting. you are frustrating.
We have the feeling that the French team took a good quarter of an hour to really get into their final in terms of aggressiveness and impact…
That’s quite right. When we started to be very aggressive, to defend very high, to press them, we saw that they were having a lot of trouble. Afterwards, as we let them gain a lot of confidence in the first period, they took shots, made runs that made them go back to sea, that they hurt us. We ran behind them the whole match in the end… Not easy… They’re a well-established team offensively and defensively, who know how to play together and who gave us a lot of problems.
Read alsoBasketball: Heart, revelations, reinforcements … Why the future looks promising for the Blues
To say to yourself that 22 teams did less well than you isn’t it enough to put things into perspective and savor this journey a little?
No, and even later I don’t think it will be enough. When you look at what we’ve done, it’s third at the World Cup in 2019 and second at the Olympics last year. The logic, it would have been to be first in the European championship… It’s a bit frustrating, we were aiming for gold even if I know that few people believed in us compared to what we did in preparation and at the start of the tournament. In the end, we got this far, it’s not nothing either but it’s frustrating.
Now we have to win the gold.
Andrew Albicy
Between the revelations of the summer (Yabusele, Tarpey) and the future ghosts (Batum, De Colo), the future looks full of promise for the France team…
It’s certain. We have a group that has been working together for four years, it works well, we manage to integrate some new ones who improve the team. I know it will happen again in the years to come. If we stay in this state of mind, we will always be in the world top. Now we have to win the gold. We’re not far off and that’s why it’s frustrating… We feel that it’s all about the details, that if we change a few things, we can get there. But we are improving every year. We were deprived of two executives this summer but we managed to plug the holes as best we could. We still managed to get out of it, that’s good too.
How did you feel about this Euro, you who returned to the group just before the start of the tournament after an injury?
Physically, I was very well. It’s more in the chemistry with the guys, there are habits to adopt. After, I tried to put as much energy as I could, to be in my role, as I always did and as I always will.
Read alsoBasketball: Tarpey, the favorite
In the final, you were hampered by two quick fouls…
(he blows) In addition, an imaginary fault. The first, OK, but the second… I was even surprised that the referee actually put it on me (smile). Afterwards, it’s the context of the match, you have to adapt. I will always give everything for the Blues, all the energy I can. It’s always a pleasure to be there, to enjoy, to savor these moments. I haven’t won any club titles but I’ve always had the national team and that’s a satisfaction.
How will the return to Spain go, in your club?
I’m going back tomorrow (Tuesday). I am lucky not to have a member of the Spanish selection within my club (smile). Fortunately, otherwise, I think there would have been a fight (laughs)! I’m kidding of course, but it would have been frustrating because I know they would have bragged. But that’s the game. And if I had won gold, I would have been the first to put on my France team jersey in training, I tell you (smile). It’s fair game. They had a very big game, the game they wanted.