18.10.2013, 12:51
Sleep well and enjoy

INTERVIEW: Austrian wing player and current top scorer of the Women's EHF Champions League Sonja Frey talks to ehfCL.com about her personal match of the year with her club Thüringer HC against defending champions Györ on Sunday

Sleep well and enjoy

With 19 goals in two matches Sonja Frey (20 years old) is topping the scorer list of the Women’s EHF Champions League ahead of the current World Handball Player of the Year, Alexandra do Nascimento (Hypo) and her 2008 predecessor Linn-Kristin Koren-Riegelhuth (Larvik) - both 17 goals. The Austrian wing player of German champions Thüringer HC individually started perfectly in the 2013/14 season, however, her club feels mixed emotions currently after beating Baia Mare and losing to Hypo.

On Sunday (16:00 hrs local time, live on www.ehfTV.com), Frey and Thüringer HC expect the “match of the year” on home ground against defending champions Györi Audi ETO KC, before Frey and her club coach Herbert Müller leave for the Austrian national team (also coached by Müller) to prepare for the start of the EHF EURO 2014 qualification with matches at Denmark and against Ukraine next week.

But at the moment Frey, who was awarded Most Valuable Player at the Junior world championship 2012, is only focussed on her role against Györ – as she mentions in this interview with ehfCL.com.

ehfCL.com: Did you expect to be on top of the top scorer list after two rounds?

Sonja Frey: You can never expect this and you can never count on a fact like this. I start every match hoping to give my best and look upon the final result. I just feel good at the moment.

ehfCL.com: What can Thüringer HC learn from their first two games in the new season of the Women's EHF Champions League?

Sonja Frey: That the run-down and the result of the match at Hypo was not planned as it happened. We could have won at Südstadt, but in the end we were defeated by six goals.

We have to stabilize our defence and have to become more fluid in attack. But it is hard to say and to hope for it, if the next opponent are the defending Champions League winners.

ehfCL.com: Will the duel against Györ be the “match of the year” for you and your club by now?

Sonja Frey: I was totally happy after the draw that we face Györ, though I know it will be anything but an easy match.

For me personally – as a young player – it is something really special to face players like those we meet on Sunday and to play against the defending Champions League winners. I like challenges and definitely we will have a challenge on Sunday.

ehfCL.com: Is there any realistic chance to beat Györ?

Sonja Frey: You can never go into a match thinking that there are no chances, you have to believe in yourself. Of course, Györ are the clear favourites but we want to give them a really hard fight.

ehfCL.com: Regarding all those big names in the squad – is there anything Thüringer HC have to focus most against Györ?

Sonja Frey: This is the main topic and question for us. If we play too defensively, the back court aces like Katarina Bulatovic or Eduarda Amorim will put the pressure on our defence. If we go too offensive, line player Heidi Löke will be dangerous. So it is nearly an unsolvable task to stop Györ. But we will fight until the end.

ehfCL.com: After the clear defeat against Hypo – how do you rate the chances to proceed to the Main Round?

Sonja Frey: We are already calculating. In case Györ win all their matches, we need to take some surprise point. Of course, the final result at Hypo, where we lost by six goals, made the task to proceed more complex and hard for us. But for me personally I only can mention that Champions League is the greatest competition to play – and so I and we will do everything to extend our stay.

ehfCL.com: Is it a hard setback for your team that German international Nadja Nadgornaja will miss the Group Matches due to a broken hand?

Sonja Frey: It is really hard to compensate her. She is a base for our defence, and is a key for our attacks, as she is a class of her own on her position. But we cannot moan, unfortunately she is not playing, the rest of the team needs to play for her.

ehfCL.com: The current period is quite stressful with six EHF Champions League matches in seven weeks, German league, German Cup and in between two EHF EURO qualification matches with Austria. How can you cope with that?

Sonja Frey: It is very simple - grind your teeth and get to it! You cannot make too many thoughts about this schedule, as parallel I also have my apprenticeship as a physiotherapist. So you need to be totally fit – and have enough sleep, then it’s ok.

TEXT: Björn Pazen / br