Balkan-Handball.com talked with one of the best right back at the World, THW Kiel and Swedish national player, Kim Andersson, after the match in Toyota Handball Bundesliga between GWD Minden and his team.
Hello, Kim. You started with 10:0 points in the league. Five wins are a good start..
– Yes, it's nice that we have this success and can continue where we stoped last season.
By the games with Gummersbach and today against Minden you lost first halftimes with one goal? At the end you won both games clearly. What are the strenghts of Kiel?
– I dont know, we played very bad today in the first half and lost too much easy balls. In the second half, we made the only thing which we could. We played very fast and succesfull. It is good that we can take this two points home.
Rhein-Neckar Lowen lost two games, against your team and HSV Hamburg. Are the Rhein-Neckar Lowen out of the race for the championship?
– No, I dont think so, it´s to early to say something about Rhein-Neckar Lowen. They have a lot of new players and they have to find themselves. We had luck that we played so early in the season with them. They will be better and better and at the end, they will be in the top four, how we thought before the season.
At Sunday, the Champions League starts for you with a game against Ademar Leon. It will be no easy game for you?
– No, there are no easy games for us. We have a very difficult program now and Ademar Leon is a very good team. For us is very important that we have such a good start in Champions League like in Bundesliga.
How you see the new mode in the Champions League with 6 teams in a group in first round, TOP 16 and than a "Final Four" tournament?
– Of course, it´s a litlle bit pity that you can't feel this euphoric from our supporters when we are in the final. In the last two years our supporters helped us a lot in the finals, that we will miss some. The final will be in Cologne, so a lot of our supporters get the chance to come there. But just after the "Final Four", you can say if it´s a good choise to change the mode.
You were champions in the last 6 years, Four times with THW Kiel and before, two times with IK Sävehof. Can you imagine, how it is to be not champion and don't celebrate after the season?
– Yes, you remember every season, but you know, in next season that you have to fight and work hard every year and that we did. You can't take it for free and it would be pity when you can't celebrate after the season. Then you have to go through that you can reach the championship next year.
What is more important for you, to celebrate in Germany or in Sweden? You see there some differences?
– You can't compare this situations. I am thinking how was that in Savehof, but than in first year when I came to Kiel,we were Champions and that was unbelievable. There were 25.000 people and you were on the stage and sing with them. The handball euphoria is so much bigger in Germany than in Sweden. Because of this, we are in Kiel to re-experience that. But the championship in Sweden was also very good for me, cause it was my first time. And now I have two Swedish and even four German championships.
You were with Swedish junior national team World champion. With the first team you haven't reached a title or medal. How you see the chances of Sweden on European championship in Austria?
– Our target is to go to semifinal. In the last two championship we were on place 5-6. We have a very young team and some new players. For the future it looks very good. We have to create a good team who can powerfull like we were some years ago. In the 90´s we had a succesfull team with Wislander, Gentzel, Lövgren, etc, but now are more teams on the top with Croatia, France, Danemark, Germany and Poland. There are so much good teams now. In the past, there was maybe three good national teams We know that it will be very hard, but we will fight and try to play very good and than we will see what is possible.
DENIS GEGER
photo: daylife.com
