2024-01-08 12:02:56
The EHF Euro 2024 is about to start. Portugal is once again among the 24 teams qualified for the competition that will take place from January 10th to 28th. In this sense, the zerozero will present, over the next few days, pieces related to everything that involves the competition.
Rui Silva is one of the most international among the Heroes of the Sea chosen to represent Portugal in the competition. At 30 years old, the FC Porto central defender will once again participate in the finals, a stage he has stepped on so many times in recent years.
Rui Silva is a fundamental piece for Carlos Resende @FPA
After becoming a father at the beginning of the year, the experienced athlete will travel to Germany to continue spreading magic with the Portuguese shirt, a situation that has already happened for 128 occasions (231 accurate shots)a first time in 2013.
In an interview with zerozerothe number 14 spoke about Portugal’s objectives, praised the working group with whom he will share the dressing room during the month of January and analyzed the three opponents in the group stage.
ZEROZERO (ZZ): Rui, first of all, thank you for accepting this invitation to be here with us. I would like to start this conversation with a little “provocation”, as it ends up marking the decisive goal against THW Kiel and in front of France, which guaranteed access to the Olympic Games. In the coming days, will we count on a new historic finish or would you prefer to avoid this “suffering”?
Rui Silva (RS): These are remarkable moments in a player’s career and are part of Portuguese handball. I hope these situations happen more often. Suffering is part of the sport we play. We have emotion and lots of goals. If we continue to have suffering, but it’s falling on our side, I don’t care if it’s always like that.
ZZ: This ends up demonstrating the growth of Portuguese handball, as they have been at the decision-making stage. In the case of FC Porto, they regularly compete in the EHF Champions League and as part of their national team they have qualified for the Olympic Games, for example.
RS: Yes, clearly. What we have achieved against the great powers, whether in terms of club or national team, has been possible thanks to the evolution we have made over the years. Before it was not possible because we could never reach this level, but now it is different.
Rui Silva
14 official titles
1Carpati Trophy Handball 2018 019, 2021ZZ: Which Do you think this is the secret for clubs and the National Team to establish themselves in these final stages of competitions?
RS: I share opinion of that the origin is at the base of the process. Several quality generations have appeared, achieving good results in training tests. Afterwards, it is obvious that clubs contribute a lot to this scenario. The investment is made with the aim of bringing quality to our country and championship, something that helps us to evolve a lot. Consequently, the teams reached a level that had not been seen for some time. The work now involves maintaining the level presented and, sometimes, this is the biggest difficulty. A person reaches the top and has to work to remain as professional as possible.
ZZ: At the end of the game against Sweden, in the 2023 World Cup, he said that all the teams already respected Portugal, but there was one small detail missing. After almost a year, do you feel like you have corrected this detail?
RS: We have this conversation several times with the selector, where he alerts us to the issue of detail and detail. We are at a high level and the differences end up being minimal. We have been working intensively on this aspect and several athletes are growing, as it is very important to have this experience in this type of competition. We feel more prepared today compared to a year or two ago. I believe we are ready to achieve something more in the future.
ZZ: In the last EHF Euro 2022, they did not have a favorable outcome, as they had three defeats in the group stage. What lessons did you learn from this participation that you will now put into practice?
RS: I think what we learned is that we always have to be at our best and prepared for anything. We had come from a European Championship in which we had been the sensation and we are inserted in a reality in which the teams are increasingly balanced at a high level. This made us see that we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and that we don’t become the best in the world, as before we weren’t the worst either. It is necessary to take games as seriously as possible.
ZZ: They are now going to Germany in January, in the middle of the season. What difficulties do you encounter on these trips, considering that you already have some accumulated fatigue from long journeys in the EHF Champions League?
RS: Of course, fatigue plays a role, but I think the biggest obstacle we have to overcome is the fact that we are a group where several players are at different clubs. It is necessary to find the best routines, connections and build the necessary chemistry to arrive at the European Championship prepared for all scenarios. Being one of the oldest athletes, I already went through the phase where we reached January and continued to compete in the championship, as we didn’t have this requirement throughout the season. It’s something we have learned to live with.
@FPA
ZZ: They were placed in Group F together with Denmark, Czechia and Greece. What strengths do you find in these teams?
RS: The Nordics end up needing no introduction because they have an above-average squad of players. The results are proof of the quality they possess. Still, I believe we are a team with quality and potential to achieve a good result. Then, we have Greece, in a game where we assume favoritism. We know they have weapons to bother us, but we need to get to the match and demonstrate that we are professionals to win. Finally, Czechia will be the most balanced match in this group stage. They have players playing at a high level in good leagues. Furthermore, there are several athletes who compete in the EHF Champions League, despite not having such well-known teams. Above all, I believe we have a lot of chances to succeed.
ZZ: Did you ask Sebastian Frandsen or Nikolaj Laeso for advice?
RS: [Risos] They always end up playing. They are Danish, but they have a certain affection for us. If we win, they won’t be too upset. The team is so strong that any advice they give us helps.
ZZ: What are Portugal’s objectives for the competition?
RS: We are quite clear that we want to move on to Main Round, which is the first goal. We will fight with all our might to make this happen. Obviously we have the ambition to improve what we have already done in the past, but our focus is on reaching Main Round.
ZZ: How do you see this working group? It ends up being a mix between youth and experience.
RS: This experience has been acquired over the years by participating in these types of competitions. They all add quality and value to the team. Nowadays, younger people are competing with the best players, which helps us a lot. We have an excellent group with an excellent connection. There is a close friendship between everyone and this ends up being beneficial.
ZZ: Carrying out this renovation is important…
RS: It’s part of sport, whether in our national team or any other. I believe that the most important thing, whether younger or older, is having quality and I think that has been happening. They deserve to be here, because they have arguments for it.
ZZ: Now moving on to the individual plan. Rui arrives at this competition coming from a season in which FC Porto occupies second place in the championship, did not win the Super Cup, but is hoping to reach the next stage of the EHF Champions League. How do you evaluate this journey so far?
RS: I feel good, despite being aware that we could be doing more, it’s a reality. Sport is like that, we have ups and downs. We come from a sequence of years in which we won several titles and I believe we have a lot to achieve. I am calm and will work to reach EHF Euro 2024 in the best possible shape.
ZZ: He is one of the most international in this group. What responsibility does this bring?
RS: It’s always good because it shows that I arrived here very young. I managed to maintain myself and continue to be part of this beautiful story that we have built. I try to pass this message on to the youngest because the path is tough, but take the opportunity to be a regular presence in this fight. Those who appear here must have the responsibility to raise the bar. They must show that representing Portugal is one of the biggest dreams and pride they have as athletes.
ZZ: What message would you like to give to the Portuguese fans who will follow your journey, whether in Germany or at home?
RS: Believe in us a lot. We are a group of fighters and people who doesn’t lower his arms. Dream with us because I believe we can continue to do very good things for Portuguese handball.
#Rui #Silva #fear #top #Dream #zerozero.pt