Improvement needed to win a medal

Following Serbia’s patchy performances in the recent Four Nations Cup on home soil, the EHF EURO 2012 host nation’s sharpshooter Marko Vujin spoke about the team’s chances of a podium finish in the upcoming European Championship in January.

Much like the rest of his teams mates, Vujin shone in Serbia’s 22:20 win over old rivals Croatia in the tournament which was a dress rehearsal for EHF EURO 2012 in January.

He acknowledged, however, the outcome of the four-day event in three Serbian cities may not be the most accurate barometer of what fans should expect when the real thing starts.

"All teams in this tournament kept plenty in the tank, although Hungary surprised everyone with the quality of their play in the opening two games," Vujin said in an exclusive interview to the EHF.

"Their advantage was having a squad comprising players from just two teams, Veszprém and Pick Szeged. They know each other really well and it helped them blend very easily. We had an outstanding game against Croatia, but we played in fits and starts throughout the tournament, we made a lot of unacceptable mistakes against the Czechs and the Hungarians and were too inconsistent in those two games," he added.

Vujin, who plays his club handball for Veszprém, was optimistic that Serbia could make the necessary step forward in order to live up to the home fans’ expectations.

"It will be essential to be more consistent in EHF EURO 2012, we will have thorough two-week preparations for the European Championship and I have high hopes that we will give our fans plenty to cheer about. We can deal with the pressure because we all play for top clubs in Europe, we know that expectations are huge and winning the opening game against Poland will be vital because it is crucial to make a positive start and take the pressure off," he pointed out.

Serbia last tasted success in 2001, when they finished third in the World Championship as part of a state union with Montenegro, but has won no silverware as a single nation since the last two remnants of the former Yugoslavia parted company in 2006.

Vujin underscored that breaking the jinx will be no easy task, given the ever so fierce competition on the big stage is only getting stronger with each major event.

"The field in European handball is as strong as ever and it’s becoming more competitive all the time. There are 10 or even 12 teams capable of winning a medal in EHF EURO 2012 so finishing on the podium will be a big challenge," he underscored.

"The French are head and shoulders above everybody else and Croatia will certainly be among the medal contenders in EHF EURO 2012 although they were below par in the Four Nations Cup," Vujin said.

"Serbia, along with five or six other teams in the same quality bracket with us, also has high hopes of winning a medal. It is a very thin line and the home court advantage should give us the edge over teams who are on the same level with us or perhaps even a notch better," he stressed.