Hurt egos and great experiences appear in best quotes of the week

After three rounds in the VELUX EHF Champions League, these are worrying times for the teams which have already suffered three losses. While some might see light at the end of the tunnel, others still seem a long way from their first win of the season.

But even in dark phases, coaches always try to see the bright side of life. And maybe, things will turn their way someday soon.

5. Patryk Rombel, HC Motor Zaporozhye

“It is the third match in a row where we lose five, six balls in the first half and then try to fill the gap, but, unfortunately, we do not succeed.”

The coach of the Ukrainian team is a little bit tired of seeing his team display the same scenario every weekend. As a result, Zaporozhye still remain without a point. But Patryk Rombel sees the positive side, as his players keep on fighting and always come back in second halves.

4. Roberto Garcia Parrondo, HC Vardar

“We have many injured players and we do not have a long bench like we had last year. Players who had problems gave all today. This is what I ask from them and they deliver.”

Some might whine about having important players injured, Roberto Garcia Parrondo just keeps on fighting, and his men give everything on the court. As a consequence, they are top of Group A with six points from three games, and are doing way better than anybody predicted.

3. Lars Møller, BSV Bjerringbro-Silkeborg

“We were on a very high level and we are very happy because it was a very difficult game. We know what a great club Sporting is, because they have big traditions, big fans, big coach. We knew this would be a great experience.”

To Lars Møller, at Sporting CP everything might be “big,” but on the court Saturday players from the Danish side made the difference. According to the visitors’ coach, his men and he had a great experience visiting this traditional club.

2. Philip Henningsson, IFK Kristianstad

“We played good handball the first 30 minutes, but the second half was just awful. Technical errors, bad attitude and no will, but you have to give it to Barça. They played amazing handball in the second half.”

Swedish side Kristianstad hoped for a better turnout in the Match of the Week, but suffered a 19-goal defeat against Barça Lassa. According to Philip Henningsson, the team did everything wrong - not just handball-wise.

1. Patrice Canayer, Montpellier HB

“I am very disappointed with the result. We're all concerned that we have three defeats in the first three games. It hurts our ego. We are obviously going through a difficult period where we are lacking confidence, but the spirit shown and our play makes me think that the future will be more optimistic and brighter.”

These are no happy days for reigning champions Montpellier. A third straight loss, against Kielce on Sunday, turned the heads down at the French side. Even with their “egos hurt,” as coach Patrice Canayer says, the team still remains optimistic ahead of the tough matches against Barça and Veszprém.