Ilic: THW Kiel will only get stronger

A fantastic season for German giants THW Kiel has given the club a rare treble comprising of the German Bundesliga, domestic cup as well as the VELUX EHF Champions League trophy, for the third time after clinching the coveted title in 2007 and 2010.

Serbian left back Momir Ilic was one of the key players in Kiel’s success, as his partnership in the position with Czech maestro Filip Jicha was a driving force in the team’s conquests.

Kiel won the German league title with an unprecedented 34 wins out of 34 and claimed the title with emphatic performances throughout Europe’s premier club competition.

Ilic, who also enjoyed a podium finish with his country after Serbia won the silver medal on home soil in the men’s EHF EURO 2012 in January, told the EHF in an exclusive interview how he felt in the ranks of a club widely seen as the world’s greatest at this point in time.

Playing for the Zebras

“Playing for THW Kiel is very simple because it is a superbly organised club and everything operates at the highest level. There is one basic principle: no one is bigger than the club and we function like one big happy family.

We achieved a lot this season but it has happened before and we are sure it will happen again before because Kiel always wants to be ahead of the chasing pack,” said Ilic.

He then struck a note of caution that emulating the success will be easier said than done amid stiff competition personified by hungry rivals aiming to topple the champions and claim the glory for themselves.
 
“No one should expect us to repeat last season’s feat of winning all 34 games in the Bundesliga but we will certainly head into every match aiming to win and stretch that historic record if possible.

Also we will be up against plenty of good teams in the Champions League but we are convinced that we have what it takes to retain the title.

It’s always more difficult to defend the title than snatch it from somebody else so we know that we will have to play at an even higher level to achieve our objectives,” he stated.

Player of the season - Andersson departs

Kiel will take centre stage next season boosted by the arrival of Ilic’s Serbia team mate Marko Vujin, a prolific right back signed to replace Swede Kim Andersson who left the European champions after a memorable season to join their Danish rivals AG  Kobenhavn.

Ilic believes that although Vujin has a big pair of shoes to fill, he will be up to the task once he finds his feet at Kiel. 

“Four new players will arrive, including Vujin, hence I think we will be even stronger than last season and that we will keep growing every year. Vujin might take a few months to adapt completely to our style of play but once he settles in he will be a huge bonus to the squad. Andersson had a great season but I am sure Vujin will be a fitting replacement,” Ilic said.

He also pointed out just how much he has benefited from playing alongside the prolific Jicha, the 2010 IHF World Player of the Year.

“I have matured as a player having to match Jicha in every department. It is not easy to deal with a situation where you can only hope for 30 minutes per game but the system works to perfection for myself, Jicha and the team – which is the most important aspect.

The mutual benefit is that we can both fire on all cylinders all the time because we are able to save a lot of energy by sharing our minutes on the court,” Ilic pointed out.