Gorbok: I hope major success lies ahead

Just days before Macedonian club HC Vardar begin preparation for the new season, their newest recruit, Russian left back Sergey Gorbok, arrived in Skopje where he joins a number of national team colleagues.

Before the start of the new season, in an exclusive interview for ehfCL.com, Gorbok speaks about his first impressions of Skopje, the upcoming matches against his former teams and the overall expectations ahead of the new VELUX EHF Champions League season.

ehfCL.com: You arrived in Skopje few weeks ago. What are your impressions of the city so far?

Sergey Gorbok: I really like the Balkans and that is why I like Skopje a lot. The surroundings are very beautiful and the people are really nice. Another advantage of this city is that my friends already live here as Vardar has plenty of Russian players and this makes me feel really comfortable. Timur Dibirov is my local guide and he is showing me the city as well the rest of the Russian players. Together we are already preparing for the next season and our official start is scheduled for Monday.

ehfCL.com: How well did you know Vardar before you signed the contract? What was the biggest motive for your transfer?

Sergey Gorbok: I knew a lot for this team as I used to play together with Prodanovic and he played in Vardar when Sergey Samsnoneko arrived here. All of the other players coming into the team have made Vardar very ambitious and this is why the Vardar offer was attractive for me. I can say that I’m really happy that I have made this step in my career and signed for this team.

ehfCL.com: Looking back at your previous experiences, which achievements in your career you are most proud of so far?

Sergey Gorbok: I played in different teams which brought lot of diversity in my career. With almost all my teams I managed to win the titles in the domestic championships, and in the last season with Rhein-Neckar Löwen we managed to end the season in second position.

My greatest achievement comes from playing in the semi-final of the Champions League, but I hope major success lies ahead, as I hope that with my team Vardar we will manage to win the Champions League as well as the domestic championship and cup.

ehfCL.com: How satisfied are you with your performance in the previous season of the VELUX EHF Champions League?

Sergey Gorbok: When you are playing in the German championship, tactics as well as the team quality are very important, same goes for the Champions League. Looking back at the previous season I can say that I’m satisfied with the performance I showed. I played in plenty high-quality matches and I’m satisfied with the time I spent on court.

ehfCL.com: In the German Bundesliga there are numerous top teams, while in Macedonia the only serious opponent is Metalurg. Are you familiar with the rivalry between these two teams?

Sergey Gorbok: It is really interesting to play in the German championship and every point is important there. On the other hand I know that in Skopje, the matches between Metalurg and Vardar are real derbies. I followed Metalurg in the Champions League and they had great season. Their good squad is led by a great coach. It will be very interesting to play tactically against this team and I think that the psychological part will also play a big role in these games.

ehfCL.com: You are playing on the same position with Lackovic. What does this mean to you? Are your satisfied with your squad composition?

Sergey Gorbok: I think that this is a good thing for me personally as a player. It is very important to have “healthy competition’’ in the team. The more quality players are in the squad the better is for the team and this will only lead us forward. At this point I think that we have many quality players in the team and that the coach will give chance to all players.

ehfCL.com: Vardar has an interesting group in the VELUX EHF Champions League and you are facing your former teams as soon as September. What is your opinion on the group opponents?

Sergey Gorbok: We have a really serious group and all teams are very good opponents. We have such a situation where my new team is facing several of my former teams in the group phase. I can say that Celje have young and ambitions team, the same goes for Chekovskie Medvedi. This season they have really balanced team.

My last club Rhein-Neckar Löwen belongs in the group of the top teams in Europe which makes them serious opponent too. Veszprem also has a great squad and the same goes for Montpellier. We have a difficult group but this is good for the fans as they will have the opportunity to see some great handball action and I hope that we are going to achieve great results.