Atlético’s Källman promises a great match

Four months after they lost in the final of the VELUX EHF Champions League, Atlético Madrid and THW Kiel will meet again in Madrid on Sunday. But Madrid winger Jonas Källman freely admits that this clash of the titans may be coming too soon for his club, who have signed seven new players over the summer.

ehfCL.com: With seven new players and a team under construction, has this match against THW Kiel come too soon for Atlético Madrid?
Jonas Källman: It might have been better to play against THW Kiel a bit later, but now we have to improve our level of play, and a match like this could be important step in helping us to do that. We must try to do our best, because Kiel is going to come to Madrid eager, after we beat them in the Super Globe final in Qatar.

ehfCL.com: How much time do Atlético need for the team to come together and reach your best form?
Jonas Källman: It is very difficult to predict, because it depends on how quickly the new players fit in. For example, the Spanish players are a little more advanced because they are more used to this style of play, but foreigners will take a little longer. When? I don’t know, but we are all working to make it as soon as possible.

ehfCL.com: With so many new players, what has changed with Atlético’s style of play?
Jonas Källman: Now we have taller players which gives us the ability to defend both at 6-0 and 5-1. Last year we had Didier Dinart, the best defender in the 5-1, but Jakov Gojun is taller so he does not need to come out as much as Dinart, and that makes our defence a little bit different. We still need more time, but the new players are very good and I am optimistic about the evolution of the team.

ehfCL.com: What parts of their play would you highlight from THW Kiel?
Jonas Källman: THW Kiel have very good players, in fact two top players in each position. They are very big, very strong and the best team in the world. It is always special to play against Kiel, because they are the VELUX EHF Champions League champions and everyone always wants to beat the best. On Sunday, I hope a lot of people come to Vistalegre, because it will be a great match.

ehfCL.com: This summer your fellow countryman Kim Andersson left THW Kiel.  What have they lost with his departure?
Jonas Källman: I think Kim Andersson is the best left back in the world. He has an impressive shot, he reads the play very well and in defence he’s very good too. It’s a very big loss for THW Kiel, but he’s only one player, and Kiel has another 13 players who are between the best players in the world, so it is not much difference compared to last year.

ehfCL.com: And what have THW Kiel gained with the arrival of Swedish wing Niklas Ekberg?
Jonas Källman: Niklas is a very good player, a very good finisher both on the wing and in counter attack. I think he makes a very good couple with Christian Sprenger.

ehfCL.com: Do you think the match against THW Kiel will be decisive for the final standings in Group B?
Jonas Källman: It's a very important match, but now the most important thing for us is to improve our level of play. So if we win, great, but if we lose, we have still a lot of matches to play, because  in a group as hard as this one, everything could happen.