Following the team’s loss to France in the championship game of the European Championship, Andrew Albicy, leader of the Blues and the Spanish club Gran Canaria, shares his emotions with the audience.
What is the atmosphere within the group since the final?
Andrew Albicy : It’s still running strong as of this morning (Monday)… No, it’s not the evening of the previous day (Sunday), when we had no desire to celebrate anything. We had hoped for a better outcome, especially considering how well we had been playing this game. It takes precedence over all of that. If we had battled, and if we had seen that they were obviously superior to us, our response would have been different… On the other hand, we have the impression that we were simply not prepared for this meeting. You are a source of frustration.
We have the feeling that the French team took a good quarter of an hour to really get into their final in terms of aggressiveness and impact…
That is an accurate statement. We observed that they were having a lot of difficulties when we started being really aggressive, when we started defending very high, and when we started pressing them. After that, as we had allowed them to develop a significant amount of confidence in the first period, they made runs and took shots that caused them to retreat, which resulted in us being injured. In the end, we finished the match running behind them the entire time… It’s not simple… They are an experienced club both offensively and defensively, who know how to play together and who caused us a great deal of difficulty.
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To say to yourself that 22 teams did less well than you isn’t it enough to put things into perspective and savor this journey a little?
No, and I don’t think it will be enough even if we wait until later. If you look at how we finished at the World Cup in 2019 and the Olympics from the previous year, we came in third and second, respectively. To have finished first in the European championship would have been the logical thing to do… It is somewhat disheartening because we had the intention of winning the gold medal, despite the fact that I am aware that very few people believed in us in comparison to what we did in preparation and at the beginning of the competition. In the end, we’ve reached this point, and while it’s not exactly nothing, it’s still really aggravating.
Now we have to win the gold.
Andrew Albicy
Between the revelations of the summer (Yabusele, Tarpey) and the future ghosts (Batum, De Colo), the future looks full of promise for the France team…
It can’t be denied. We have a team that has been functioning effectively for the past four years thanks in large part to the addition of new members who bring positive contributions to the group. In the years to come, I have no doubt that it will take place once more. If we maintain this frame of mind, we will remain at the very pinnacle of the global rankings. Now what we need to do is take home the gold. Because we’re so close, it makes everything so much more difficult… We have the impression that the outcome will depend on the smallest of particulars and that all that is required is a few minor adjustments. However, we are making progress each year. This past summer, our company was short two executives; yet, we were able to compensate for the void to the best of our ability. We were still successful in escaping from it, and that is a positive development.
How did you feel about this Euro, you who returned to the group just before the start of the tournament after an injury?
I felt excellent in terms of my body. It has more to do with the chemistry amongst the boys, and there are certain routines to get into. Following that, I made an effort to invest as much energy as I could in being the person I am supposed to be, just as I have in the past and just as I will in the future.
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In the final, you were hampered by two quick fouls…
(he blows) In addition, there is a fictitious mistake. The first one is all right, but the second one… Even more surprising was the fact that the referee actually called it on me (smile). After that, the context of the match will determine how you should adapt. I will never stop giving the Blues everything I have, all the energy that I can muster. Being present, taking pleasure in, and making the most of these times is always a joy. Even though I haven’t won any club trophies, I’ve always been a part of the national team, and that gives me a sense of accomplishment.
How will the return to Spain go, in your club?
I will be returning the following day (Tuesday). It is a stroke of good luck that none of the players on Spain’s national team play for my club (smile). If things hadn’t worked out the way they did, I’m very sure there would have been a fight (laughs)! I am joking, but even if I hadn’t, it would have been annoying since I am certain that they would have boasted about it. But such is the nature of the game. I can assure you that if I had been victorious, I would have been the first to put on my France team shirt whenever we had a practise session (smile). It’s open for business. They had the game they desired, which was a really significant game.