Davis: “Any coach would be happy to guide a team like Veszprém”
When Telekom Veszprém HC signed David Davis as their head coach to replace Ljubomir Vranjes two weeks ago, it brought the Spaniard back to the VELUX EHF Champions League. Playing as a left wing, Davis won the EHF Champions League three times with Ciudad Real, in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
Davis, who is also coaching the Egyptian national team, is ambitious. He tells ehfCL.com that he wants nothing less than reaching the VELUX EHF FINAL4 and winning back the domestic title with Veszprém.
ehfCL.com: How is your Hungarian?
David Davis: I can only say some words like: good morning, yes, no, see you in Hungarian (laughs). I did not have time to learn yet. I know that Hungary and Veszprém are beautiful and I hope that I will have the opportunity to get familiar with the language, the people and the country itself.
ehfCL.com: You have finished your playing career only five years ago. Now you are head coach of Egypt and Veszprém. How would you sum up your feelings now about these two jobs?
David Davis: When the Egyptian Handball Federation contacted me, I was ready to move from Vardar as Raúl Gonzalez was leaving to PSG. At Vardar, it was a perfect two and a half years. In Egypt I started to like everything from the beginning. I always wanted to live in such a special city, like Cairo. It is always very complicated to sign a new coach in the middle of the season, but I am happy now with this chance I got from Veszprém. This is what I always wanted. Professional management, the best players of the world are on the court, so I will do my best.
ehfCL.com: Why coaching?
David Davis: I once read an interview which said: “The best thing you can do in your life when you are expert in something, is when you keep doing it.” I played handball for twenty years and I started other projects when I retired but always related to my beloved sport. When Raúl Gonzalez called me, I moved to Skopje without even thinking about it, because teaching was one of my favourite things to do.
ehfCL.com: What was your first thought when Veszprém got in touch with you?
David Davis: Happiness (laughs)! If somebody knows a little bit of the European handball history from the last 20 years, Veszprém were always among the bests. For me it is similar to Ferrari in Formula 1. So, my feelings did not change since then, I am the happiest person right now.
ehfCL.com: What did your surrounding say when you accepted the offer?
David Davis: Everybody welcomed my decision and I received many messages from ex-colleagues, friends, and family. They were happy for me. I did not know that my phone can handle so many notices.
ehfCL.com: In Veszprém the pressure is huge. How do you handle stress usually?
David Davis: I was aware of the expectations in Veszprém when I arrived. This is a great team with such a long history and a lot of possibilities. When you are a coach, it does not matter how big the team is, there is always pressure. Everything depends on the results and it is known that the trophy of the Champions League is the goal of this season. But this is a part of our life and profession. You need be as good as in handling pressure as in coaching.
ehfCL.com: What do you think about the squad?
David Davis: It is a dream squad. Any coach would be happy to guide a team like Veszprém. The players have lot of experiences in many different tournaments. We have everything we need. Every player on each position is excellent.
ehfCL.com: What would you change on the squad right now?
David Davis: Now? Nothing! I have more than what I need. The squad is perfect and the bench is long enough to rest the players. I could not ask for a better line-up right now.
ehfCL.com: What game style, tactics will you play with your team?
David Davis: Of course, I am mostly familiar with the Spanish game style, so this is going to be our main direction for this season. In Spain, it does not only matter what you do on the court but it also matters how you handle your players away from the court as we are a big family. That is why there are so many Spanish coaches throughout Europe.
ehfCL.com: What do you think, what is the biggest advantage to work in Veszprém?
David Davis: That I can work with very professional people. Everything is under control. Everybody knows what to do and of course the supporters. Our arena is always full with our fans and they will always be with us.
ehfCL.com: What is your goal in this season in Hungary?
David Davis: To win every competition where we are involved. This is what the management wants and me too.
ehfCL.com: How will you manage your two jobs? What is the key for you?
David Davis: This is now easier as I learnt to handle a situation like this when I was with the Russian national team and in the same time with Vardar. The only difficulty is that I do not have any break. But it is not a big deal as I love my profession.
ehfCL.com: You won your first match against Montpellier. What do you think about the game?
David Davis: The match against the title-holder was complicated. We had only four days to prepare together. However, we fought until the end and Roland Mikler’s save was just fantastic before the final whistle. I hope that for the next clash we will be faster. It is only a matter of time, because I can see the signs on the trainings.
ehfCL.com: Looking ahead to the World Championship: Egypt are in the same group with Hungary, Sweden, Qatar, Argentina and Angola. What are your expectations?
David Davis: My expectations are always huge. We start from a special situation as Egyptian handball is still evolving. We have very talented and young players and I mostly care about the experiences we are going to get for the next World Championship, which will be held in Egypt. I would like to see that our system works.
ehfCL.com: As a coach, where do you see yourself in five and in 10 years?
David Davis: This question is very good as I asked the same from the national team players of Egypt on the first day. One of the players googled his name and there were no entries at all. So, I asked him, what do you want to find when you search it next time? They understood my point. What I want is a secret for now.
TEXT: Béla Müller / ew
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