Six points mean nothing

Seven matches, seven victories – and still a clean record after the first leg of the Champions League Main Round. HSV coach Martin Schwalb can be satisfied with what his team earned up to now. But in the interview with Eurohandball.com after the match against Portland (34:23) he warned his players to take all the coming matches seriously.

Eurohandball.com: Your team showed a completely different performance after the break against Portland and won clearly. What did you tell the players in the cabin?

Schwalb: I told them and stressed it that I don’t want to see this style anymore. We can play better and they should show what they’re able to do. We have very good players in our team – and I changed some at the break – and this was the key to success.

Eurohandball.com: Now you lead the table of your group with the maximum number of points. Will it be enough to qualify for the quarterfinal?

Schwalb: No, six points mean nothing. If we lose all our matches and Portland win all the others, they will have eight points and we may be eliminated. Six points are a good basis for the future – nothing more. We want to reach the quarterfinals as our next step and we want to win all matches.

Eurohandball.com: So you warned your players to stay respectful?

Schwalb: Exactly, but I don’t have to warn them really. They know what to do. By looking at the table you see that we need one home and one away win. It’s our objective to finish the group on number one position. You always have to have it in your mind: we want to win every match. Otherwise you can stumble very quickly.