MHB: “Take two points and go on holiday peacefully”, Valentin Porte looks back on the draw against Toulouse before going to Chartres

JMMAR20241214 Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

MHB captain Valentin Porte returned to the bad result in the draw conceded against Toulouse (28-28) last Saturday, before the trip to Chartres on Friday December 20th during the 15th day of Starligue, for the last match before the international break.

The pill of the Toulouse match (28-28) must have been hard to swallow, right ?

Yes, because it’s an eternal restart I feel. It’s heavy because every year, it’s a bit the same at this time. It happens that it’s the same team every time, so that explains it, because it’s a very good team. The other years, it bothered me less because we took a beating, and it was a no-brainer. I prefer that to dominating a match head and shoulders and drawing the match. When talking to the people of Toulouse, even they don't understand how this is possible.

Read also: Starligue: Held in check by Toulouse by conceding a draw, MHB shoots itself in the foot

Time will tell, but losing this point could make all the difference later in the season. It really sucks… It doesn’t ruin everything else, but it’s tough. God knows we put a stop to it by saying: “Be careful, in this period, I feel like it could be tough.” I’m not asking for much, but in this match, they were even more physically challenged than us. It was possible to do it, it just had to sting a little more and we did the job.

What bothered you the most in this result, the defense or the attack?

In defense, having watched the game again and talked to Toulouse, their seven-on-six attack was of very high quality. They caused problems for everyone. But I don't have the impression that they easily found the solution every time, we defended rather well. But they were extremely successful. There were shots that we had planned to take to this or that place to get stops or recover balls… They made them, but we suffered less from this seven-on-six than in previous years. In attack, we can score more than 28 goals. Beyond that, it's a little extra investment that we should have had. That's what bothered me a little. We had to get our faces on the ground for five minutes and they would have given up.

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Starligue: the ranking and the program for the 15th day

We missed three penalties, shots at the pivot… Missing shots doesn’t bother me, but that’s the image you give off. You have the impression that we’re a bit nonchalant, easy. While we’re in a period where we have to close our eyes and shoot really hard where we can. And that’s the speech Erick has been giving since the beginning of the month: “We don’t care how, we just have to win.” So you have to put on your helmet, you do everything at full speed and in most matches it will hold because all the teams are a bit exhausted.

What discussion did you have between you ?

We talked about how everyone felt, we hurt ourselves by looking at the stats, by saying how we managed not to win it. But we didn't dwell on it too much either, because the danger is that there is still an away match, and that one is very, very dangerous too. We feel it, we still have a lot of injuries, everyone is a little tired physically and mentally. I think we only want one thing, it's to go on break and on vacation. But that's how it is for everyone. We have to hurt ourselves for another hour, and then we'll go and enjoy ourselves a bit.

Aren't there even more regrets after Nantes' victory against Paris??

Yes, of course. Because you don't have to be a renowned mathematician to calculate that if you win that match you could actually be only two points behind the other two, that is to say one victory behind them. Now, even if you beat Nantes in February, you're still one point behind. All Paris has to do is fill up, and it's over. Two years ago, that defeat in Toulouse cost us the title. I know very well that one point can make all the difference. In 2018, for example, we lost the title because of the goal average…

What do you expect from the team in Chartres?

I don't expect great handball, because since December, we haven't played great handball. I can understand that. I just want us to do simple things, but to do it by being 100% involved, one last time before the break. To pull ourselves together and reward ourselves a little for this start to the season. To have as much fun as possible away, in a very nice venue. There's everything to have fun. We might as well try to finish with a great victory and leave with a smile.

Victory will be enough to make it a success ?

Honestly, I don't give a damn. If we win 19-18 and the game is awful, I don't care. I just want to take two points and go on vacation in peace.

You'll be happy to be on vacation afterwards, right? ?

Yes, it'll feel good. We've been here for a while. It's always like that. This period is always complicated. And, believe it or not, we're not spoiled by injuries. We're losing Diego again. It's hard work. It's not a shame to say it. I think for a lot of teams too, but for us, luckily it ends this Friday night.

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