30.04.2009, 03:46
Full of adrenaline

Interview with HSV’s French line player, Bertrand Gille.

Full of adrenaline

Even if his club lost the first match of the semi-finals against Ciudad Real, the Hamburg line player Bertrand Gille is still confident. In an interview with Eurohandball.com he talks about the chances and about the pain he suffered after playing with a broken rib.

Eurohandball.com: You lost the first leg against Ciudad Real by 29:30. What chance HSV have for the Final now?

Gille: If you take a look at it from a neutral position, our chances are small. We know that we have a very big hurdle to take, but we go to Spain to give all we can and to take the chance – even if this chance seems only a little percentage.

Eurohandball.com: Was it big disappointment after the first match in Hamburg?

Gille:Right after the match the disappointment was not so big. We knew that we didn’t play so well, but we knew that we still have the chance to play the return game. But it’ll be a very tough game in Spain.

Eurohandball.com: What lesson did you learn from that match?

Gille: We didn’t learn much. Our expectations from Ciudad Real were fulfilled. The team is “a machine of success” with world class players. It’s hard to beat such a team.

Eurohandball.com: In what respect do you have to improve?

Gille: We’ll have a lot of tasks. We have to score more goals from a lower number of attacks and we shouldn’t make so many mistakes. And then we can hope for a better result.

Eurohandball.com: The Arena in Ciudad Real will be sold out. Could you have more motivation than such an atmosphere?

Gille: Hardly. However, for such a game you don’t need special motivation. You don’t reach the semi-finals of the Champions League often in your career.

Eurohandball.com: Approximately 200 HSV fans will travel to Ciudad Real. What does that mean for you?

Gille: This is great and I’m proud that so many people support us even away from home.

Eurohandball.com: For the second time in your life – after last season’s semi-final against Ciudad – you played the first match with a broken rip. What pain did you feel during the match and the day after?

Gille: During the match it wasn’t big problem. But the day after – when all the adrenaline is gone from my body – it was really painful. But I knew before that I had to go through this pain.

Eurohandball.com: This season’s semi-finals are a bit like the “French Open”: two Frenchmen are playing for Hamburg, three for Kiel and another three for Ciudad Real. How important are these games back home in France?

Gille: No French team are playing, so the interest is not so big. But all the fans in France know that we have a top national team and that the stars are playing for the top clubs all around Europe.

TEXT: Björn Pazen