The Swedish team had a dream start to the main round yesterday when they defeated Slovenia 35-31. Felix Montebovi praises the team’s ability to blindly trust the agreement in the defensive and attacking game.
– We feed for 60 minutes and believe in our game. It goes a long way, says 20-year-old Montebovi.
After four straight victories in the EC, the mood in the blue and yellow team is at its best.
– We are fine. We have fun both on and off the field, says the championship debutant Felix Montebovi at Saturday’s press conference in Malmö.
And no illnesses have bothered the squad.
– No, not as far as I know. No illnesses in three weeks, confirms Montebovi, who on weekdays plays in HK Malmö in the Handball League.
The left-six laughs when asked about the secret behind it.
– I think we have had good food where we have lived. Everyone has taken care of their sleep and been careful with hand sanitizer.
He himself is soon in his third week in the collection and feels that his body is responding well.
– I’m getting used to it now, both to the pace and to keeping up with everyone you’ve looked up to. The body feels as good as it can.
He explains the success on the field with the team’s ability to stick to their game.
– We feed for 60 minutes and believe in our game. It goes a long way. Last time we were behind in the first half, but we believed in our game and turned it around in the second.
Just “believing in the game” can be a challenge in handball.
– When you are behind, you start thinking: should we change something, why have they scored more goals? Then it is important to dare to believe and have confidence in what we have trained for.
That trust is built above all from the leadership side, he believes.
– It comes first and foremost from the coaching staff. When everyone believes in what we do, then we motivate each other.
He takes it in stride that he himself received a lot of attention.
– It’s just fun. You’re not used to that, so it’s fun to get some attention.
Playing in the A national team already as a 20-year-old was not something he counted on.
– No, maybe not exactly at 20. I always thought I would be sitting here at some point, but it came faster than I expected. I am very happy to be here.
He attributes the step from youth handball to senior player to good coaches.
– I have had quite good coaches who have helped me a lot. In IFK Ystad I had Fredrik Petersen and learned a lot from him. It was at Malmö Sports Gymnasium Robert Månsson who taught me a lot, says Montebovi, who was brought up in H43 Lund, just like his national team teammates Nikola Roganovic and Andreas Palicka.
What is it like to play in front of tens of thousands of spectators in Malmö Arena?
– It is mostly when you sit on the bench and wait to get in that you are nervous. Once on the field, it’s just fun. Play handball has been done before, even if it wasn’t in front of 10,000, concludes the talent.
Text: Olof Thyrelius
Photo: Bildbyrån
