Fresh blood for Itxako

Itxako Navarra performed well last season and secured all three titles in national competitions, but the EHF Champions League was a very difficult task for Ambros Martin’s team. Therefore, the squad of the Spanish champion needed to be strengthened, and during the summer, six new players arrived at Estella to help improve the clubs’s European performance. ehfCL.com talks to Spanish national team player Carmen Martín Berenguer, one of the new recruits.

ehfCL.com: How do you feel in Itxako after several seasons spent in Alicante?

Carmen Martín: My adaptation process has been very easy. I already knew some of the players from the Spanish national team. The working method in my new club is a bit different from the one in my former club, but I feel good now. Here we’ve many new players and we need to work hard.

ehfCL.com: The season has started well and you won the Spanish Super Cup. How did you feel about that?

Carmen Martín: For me this was a very special game as we played against my former club Mar Alicante. We celebrated victory and it meant a good start for the season.

ehfCL.com: Can your international experience be useful in the EHF Women´s Champions League?

Carmen Martín: I have never played in the Champions League before, so I think playing in the queen class of handball is much different than the other European tournaments. With the Spanish national team I played in several crucial games, so that experience can help me a lot. I can hardly wait for my first game and to experience how different this competition is.

ehfCL.com: What do you expect in the EHF Champions League?

Carmen Martín: I’m not really sure, but I know that I feel very motivated to play in Estella. With my new team colleagues I’ll surely enjoy the atmosphere in the arena where I suffered with my former club last season as visitor!

ehfCL.com: What is your opinion about Itxako Navarra’s group?

Carmen Martín: Although I haven’t played in this competition before, I know all the teams we’ll be facing: HC Leipzig, Hypo NÖ and DVSC-Korvex. I think that we’ve a good possibility of reaching the Main Round of the CL. During the first few games of the competition we’ll see what our real level is.

ehfCL.com: What is the objective of Itxako Navarra in the EHF Champions League?

Carmen Martín: The spirit of the club is to think about the next game only. We can’t look any further… In the pre-season we worked hard to improve our physical condition, but we have to keep working to improve our tactics and game plan. Besides me, there are several other new players at the club, and I’m sure we’ll continue to improve.