Every change needs time

Next Monday Austrian champions Hypo NÖ will start their preparation for the new season. One part of the players will start in Südstadt under second trainer Feri Kovács, whilst the eight Brazilians will prepare in their native country under supervision of new coach Morten Soubak.

In the Group A of the Women's EHF Champions League 2013/14 the reigning Cup Winners's Cup holders will take on the defending champions Győri Audi ETO KC, German champions Thüringer HC and the qualifier from Group 3.

Hypo NÖ´s pivot and one of the Brazilian contingent Fabiana "Dara" Diniz gave us a summary about last season and she also reveals about this season´s goals and life in Austria.

Decade ago Hypo NÖ has been among the strongest teams in Europe. In which category would you put your team in this season?

Dara Diniz: Hypo NÖ have always been a team of great respect in Europe and among its best clubs.

Last year the club did not get back to the elite top eight in the Champions League but won the Cup Winners' Cup which already shows some progress. I believe this year the club can go a little further, as being among the eight best teams in Europe.

What do you consider as a biggest weakness in the previous season?

Dara Diniz: For me, the sparse number of players to achieve the maximum training in equal condition and physical shape. I still believe coach András could work well.

What are your goals in the new season?

Dara Diniz: I want Hypo NÖ again to occupy a place in the elite handball world, being among the eight best teams in Europe would be the primary objective.

Getting a great result with Brazil at the World Championship in Serbia would be another task. We have to work hard to achieve those goals.

The head-coach of the Brazilian women national team Morten Soubak is replacing András Németh at the coaching position. Should this be considered as an advantage since Hypo’s squad is composed mostly of Brazilian national team players?

Dara Diniz: Morten is a coach who already earned respect on the world stage along with Brazil's handball. The fact that the team is composed largely of Brazilians will make it much easier for everyone. I adapted very well to the former coach, enjoyed working with András, always wanted to work with him, I believe that Morten will succeed with Hypo like he has with Brazil. However, we always have to remember that every change needs time to settle everything and achieve the best results.

Since 2012 you are a player of Hypo. How hard is for you and the other Brazilians in the team to adapt to the Austrian style of life?

Dara Diniz: For me, the greatest difficulty is the language, this year I had little opportunity to study German and my English level is not good. My companions Steffi, Ale, Fe and others have helped me. I enjoy Austria, it is a great country to live, I need to learn the language to enjoy even more. In the team the advantage of having many Brazilians makes things easy, but it's always good to know the local language.