17.03.2011, 02:40
Moen: "More emphasis on defence"

The Norwegian’s coach Tor Odvar Moen talks about the two big canons, Larvik HK and Győri Audi ETO, that will fight for the top spot on Sunday.

Moen: "More emphasis on defence"

Larvik and Győri Audi ETO were dominating Main Round Group 2, with both teams progressing to the semi-final after just four rounds. Their head-to-head match on Sunday will decide over the first place in the group.

ehfCL.com talked to Larvik’s head coach Tor Odvar Moen about the match against the Hungarians, the upcoming tasks, and possible semi-final opponents in the EHF Champions League.

Tor Odvar Moen: I feel that the shape of the team is very good. We played a fairly good match against Leipzig. First of all our defence stood solidly, and that’s something that will be very important when we reach the month of April and the two legs of the semi-final.

Tor Odvar Moen: Our style has not changed much. I’ve worked with the team for over three seasons now and I’ve been very much involved in the way we have wanted to "style" the team all the way.

We’ve probably changed the focus a little bit in the last two months by working a little more with defence than we did earlier.

As I mentioned before, that will be one of the most important parts of our game play in the next phase of the EHF Champions League.

Tor Odvar Moen: The first half of that match was a total collapse from us. We didn’t put up a fight and lost almost every duel in every part of the game.

In second half we played better in defence but we didn’t use the time in possession very well.

It was a wake-up call for us because that kind of physical play and intensity that the Hungarians put up against us is what the rest of the EHF Champions League will be about.

So to conclude, we will have to put up a fight the whole match and we have to put the ball past their keepers, which was also a problem for us in Larvik.

Saying all this, I think we’ve recovered well since that match, and we are working very well at the moment. The girls have responded brilliantly.

Tor Odvar Moen: No, that’s not a key desire for us. I don’t think the home field advantage is that important these days. We have to win with 9 goals to be No. 1 and history tells that it is hard enough to win in Győr…

Tor Odvar Moen: We will play the team we get. We have no favourite opponent, as I rate both teams being very good.

Now that we know that we will play on the semi-final stage in April, our main focus will be to prepare the team for those two matches in a sensible way. The most important part is to have the team at full strength when the semi-final starts.

Tor Odvar Moen: They have shown much strength during the Main Round. At home they seem to get an extra kick from their always enthusiastic fans. They play a very high paced game with lots of combinations in attack, with Anita Görbicz as the main director.

They have very few weaknesses, but sometimes they can be a little too eager to decide the match, with the consequence that they take some chances too early.

Katrine played a perfect match in Norway, but we don’t prepare especially for her. We have to create the chances that make it difficult to be a goalkeeper, whatever name and ranking she is.

Larvik HK need to win with nine goals or more in Győr in order to win Group 2. The top match and decisive battle for group victory will be broadcast as a free-of-charge live web stream on ehfTV.com.

EHF Women’s Champions League, Main Round, Round 6
Sunday 20 March 2011, 18:15 hrs (local time)
Győri Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs. Larvik HK (NOR)

ehfTV.com is the official Internet TV platform of the European Handball Federation and offers free live streaming as well as a video on demand service.

TEXT: Márk Hegedüs