Željko Musa – a giant with a boyish temper

If you met him in a dark alley, you would definitely run to the hills. Tall and wiry, he would probably eclipse the pale stream of light from the nearby street lamp. You would start to run, but after a few metres you would stumble.

Too frightened to stand up the figure would slowly become clearer and clearer as he approaches you. Ready for the unavoidable, you would take a last look at…

…his friendly eyes as he says “Hey, dude, what’s up?” – as he helps you to get back on your feet.

On the court he is as solid as steel, and off always cheerful and easy-going. ehfCL.com reporter sat down with Željko Musa ahead of the Match of the Week between SC Pick Szeged and KS Vive Tauron Kielce. A match which may decide who finishes in pole position in Group D of the VELUX EHF Champions League.

ehfCL.com: Piotr Grabarczyk has finally joined the team and this gives you extra options on the line. It must have been a big relief!
Željko Musa: Yes, I’m very happy about that! He’s an important player for our team, especially in defence.

ehfCL.com: Over past few matches you had to fend for yourself on the line, was it a difficult period for you?
Željko Musa: Luckily I wasn’t playing the full matches, but in a system our coach developed where we play in fifteen-minute stints. I mainly played in the attack and only sometimes in both the attack and defence, so it wasn’t too bad for me.

ehfCL.com: How would you judge your teammate's performances, like Michał Jurecki for example, who had to play out of position on the line?
Željko Musa: I think there is a bright future for Michał on the line (laughes)! If something should happen and he was not able to play as a left back anymore, he could be a pivot! He’s good!

ehfCL.com: Maybe his brother gave him some advice? Or did you?
Željko Musa: No (laughes)! He knows everything already, but I would say he must have been observing his brother in the national team!

ehfCL.com: Let’s talk about Szeged a little bit. What conclusions can be drawn from the previous match in Kielce?
Željko Musa: They’ve got a strong team, and a really good defence. For us, Saturday’s clash will be the most difficult game in the group phase. They are playing at home and they’ve got great fans. They have lost only once, against us, so far and they have solid form at the moment. It will be a tough match.

ehfCL.com: But compared to the other teams, the players you come up against, don’t seem to be too big. They shouldn’t cause big problems for such big boy like you.
Željko Musa: Oh, come on, I’m very weak (laughes).

ehfCL.com: Come on, you’re a giant!
Željko Musa: Ok, let’s put it that way (laughes). We are all looking forward to this match and we all want to give one hundred per cent.

ehfCL.com: How will you motivate yourself for the most important game so far?
Željko Musa: Each player knows what difficulties he is going to face. We are ready for this and we love playing in such games. You really don’t need to motivate yourself for such events.

ehfCL.com: Could the break in Qatar cause a drop in motivation?
Željko Musa: No, I don’t think so. We always want to win each game. What is more, we want to improve on the results from last season. In other words: we want to make it to Cologne.

ehfCL.com: So you will do everything in your power to take and hold onto first place in your group?
Željko Musa: Exactly! This is why Szeged will be our most important challenge.