Satisfied Ikast coach

Eurohandball.com has asked Ikast´s head coach Kenneth Jensen about his team´s performance in the group stage.

Eurohandball.com: How would you evaluate your team’s performance in the group stage?

Kenneth Jensen: I think we had some great performances and these took us to the main round. Our last game was not so good, of course, but the circumstances were special. We went to Skopje in order to play for the first place, but before we even started to play we had to realise that Zvezda were not strong enough to stop Győr. It would have been better to start all matches of the last round at the same time.

Eurohandball.com: You made six points from three matches in the autumn and only one in your three matches in January. Are there any particular reasons for that?

Kenneth Jensen: I think we have also done very well after New Year. We played a very close match with Győr where we managed reach a better score regarding the direct encounters. We qualified for the main round, with a draw in Russia, which is a very difficult away ground. The circumstances of our last match were, as I said, special.

Eurohandball.com: Are you surprised by some of the eight teams of the main round?

Kenneth Jensen: No, but I expected Larvik to qualify and maybe also FC København.

Eurohandball.com: Which teams are the favourites in your view?

Kenneth Jensen: Viborg and Hypo Niederösterreich seem to be a league of their own, but I don’t think we have to fear any team. Not even those two.