Boris Denič: "Deciding the final 19 players is the most difficult part."

It happens rarely that the national team coach in Slovenia announces the final squad for a European Championship before the final preparations, but Slovenian coach Boris Denič doesn’t want any secrets within the team.

Boris Denič has been assistant coach of the Slovenian National team since 2007 and was a part of the team at three big Championships. Now, for the first time, he leads Slovenia to the EHF EURO. His philosophy is based on work, work and hard work.

ehf-euro.com: According to the rules, you submitted 28 players to the European Handball Federation for EHF Euro 2012 in Serbia. Was it difficult to decide on the squad?

Boris Denič: Deciding the 28 players who are eligible to play in the EURO was really an easy one. There were no doubts. But what comes in few days time will be the most difficult part – deciding the 19 players who will come to the final preparations.

ehf-euro.com: You made an unusual decision as the final team for European Championship will be known immediately…

Boris Denič: When the 19 players come to the training camp I will tell them clearly who will be the 16 traveling to Serbia and who will be waiting for an opportunity as a substitute. I don’t want to have any secrets. Everyone will know from the start what is his role in the national team and what I expect from each player.

ehf-euro.com: What is the timeline for the final preparations?

Boris Denič: On the 26th of December we will start preparations in Zreče and stay there until 31st December. After New Year’s Eve we will return and continue, and just before the EHF EURO 2012 we will go to a tournament in Denmark (6th until 8th January) where we will play against Denmark, Iceland and Poland. After those three games we still have a few days to prepare on home soil.

ehf-euro.com: Probably the focus will be on tactical preparations?

Boris Denič: There will be no physical part to the preparations, only working on high resistance and strength. Mostly, the training sessions will be tactical. In Denmark we will see what we have made and where are our weaknesses.

ehf-euro.com: In Denmark you’ll be playing against Iceland, an opponent in Group D in the Preliminaries of the EHF EURO 2012. That’s a really interesting decision!

Boris Denič: I can see only positives in a friendly game against Iceland. We can see their quality and strengths before the European Championship, which will help our preparations. After the tournament we will still have one week to complete the tactical plan.

ehf-euro.com: In the EHF week in November you gathered 24 players together. What was the bottom line in the preparations?

Boris Denič: I wanted to know all of our actions, to feel the team spirit, and to get prepared for the EURO. We practiced attacks, mostly. You know, everything that’s not defensive, is the quality. Players need hundreds and hundreds of repetitions to really get it into the mind and realize it, even in the middle of the night, perfectly. If they will come back now, in December, with just 15 % of that, I’ll be very happy.

Further information

Download the Official EHF EURO 2012 Playing Schedule (pdf)

Buy your EHF EURO 2012 tickets HERE.

Ticketing is managed by the Serbian Organising Committees. Should you need further assistance for buying your tickets, please contact via email: tickets@rss.org.rs

Find more information on the tournament on the official website www.ehf-euro.com/SRB2012/

Join the growing community of fans of the event on Facebook www.facebook.com/SRB2012