07.01.2010, 12:44
Aalborg feel no pressure

For Head Coach Björn Blomquist Aalborg DH still have their destiny in the own hands.

Two wins in the last two matches in Group B and the Danes are in the main round of the Women’s Champions League. However, both matches are away – against Hypo Niederösterreich on the coming Saturday and against Frenchs champions Metz on the following Friday. Therefore the conditions are tough for the current number eight in the Danish league.

Especially after one of the team’s most important players, Louise Mortensen ended her career between Christmas and New Year. But Aalborg’s head coach Björn Blomquist also finds positive aspects in the situation, as he sees a lot of pressure having been lifted off the shoulders of his players.

Eurohandball.com: How do you see your team’s chances to qualify for the main round after Louise Mortensen’s decision?

Björn Blomquist: Of course, Louise Mortensen was a good and important player, but we have many highly skilled players. The largest problem is the fact that they suffer from an almost complete lack of experience of matches at Champions League level. Furthermore our young playmaker Stine Jørgensen has been sidelined with an injury for eight weeks and will not be fit for our match against Hypo Niederösterreich on Saturday either. So after Louise Mortensen’s goodbye we are really facing some problems on the playmaker position.

Eurohandball.com: Is it realistic at all to talk about your chances of advancing to the main round?

Björn Blomquist: Theoretically it sounds so easy: Two wins and we are through. However, we know that it will be extremely difficult. I think we can play without any pressure. We will simply try to do our best. No one can ask for more.

Eurohandball.com: The first of your two challenges will be in Vienna on Saturday. How do you see the match against Hypo?

Björn Blomquist: Obviously it will be an extremely tough challenge on a very difficult away ground. However, I think that there is much more pressure on Hypo than on us. They have so much more at stake than we have. So we can approach that match without any kind of nervousness. Much more we should be able to make them nervous.

Eurohandball.com: Your match in the Danish league against Esbjerg this week was postponed due to heavy snow in northern Denmark. That means you have not played an important match since late November. How does this affect your team?

Björn Blomquist: There is no doubt that we would have been a bit keener, if we had played the match against Esbjerg. However, that is the way things are, and we cannot do anything about it. We just have to accept the terms the way they are.

TEXT: Peter Bruun