Italy v Greece 10-7

Alessandro Campagna, head coach, Italy:
“In the first period we played a very good water polo, good speed, good rhythm, counterattacks, great defending. The second period was also somewhat satisfying but after that we didn’t play really well our 6 on 5s. Of course, the players wanted to take care of the result, to keep the lead so they didn’t rush that much. Now we can play for the bronze medal with another strong team, and this is why this tournament is great. It helps a lot for me, as a coach, as I can see my players in four very strong matches, how they respond in different situations, assess their physical conditions and of course the mistakes are also highlighted against quality opponents. It’s better to discover them now since the Champions League ends in early June and we will have only five weeks to prepare for the European Championships.”

Theodoros Vlachos, head coach, Greece:
“True, this game was somewhat similar to the one we played yesterday. I hoped that my players would react in a better way after the loss but Italy’s strong defence didn’t leave them too much opportunities. We have to learn from these lessons. I know my players better than anyone else. Last year they were heroes. This year, in this tournament they are not playing like heroes, just as ordinary players. I know the reasons but this is not the place to talk about them. For sure, we have to work a lot to correct the mistakes and to reach a level where we deserve much better results than we achieved here.”

France v Montenegro 6-10

Nenad Vukanic, head coach, France:
“We are still very far from the best teams of the world, even if this game looked a bit tighter. Perhaps it was easier after Serbia and Croatia, and perhaps this wasn’t the best Montenegrin team, still, we shouldn’t lie to ourselves, we have to see the differences between us and the top-level sides. There is no too much time until the European Championships to make miracles but we’ll work every day to reach the level of the best ones in the future.

Vladimir Gojkovic, head coach, Montenegro:
“I don’t know who will play tomorrow, it’s too much to play four games with the best teams in four days… The players are dead at this part of the season, so it’s really not easy. Of course, it’s a chance to see the mistakes and to correct them, still, it’s a very demanding tournament.”

Serbia v Croatia 7-8

Dejan Savic, head coach, Serbia:
“Congratulations to Croatia, they played well and won because they had to win.”

Ivica Tucak, head coach, Croatia:
“This is always a historical match and it was a very great match again. I think in the first half my players were a bit nervous, while the defence was more or less OK, we committed mistakes in front. The second half was much better, we played on the expected level and could turn the score. It was really hard as we had one player less as we missed our captain Andro Buslje due to suspension but we managed to overcome that. However, we must forget this win, the previous ones against France and Montenegro and be ready mentally for Sunday. It’s going to be another final in two days.”

Hungary v Spain 13-7

Tamas Marcz, head coach, Hungary:
“I can be happy with the performance of my team, I think today we showed something positive we can take on with us for the future. In the morning practice we put special emphasis on the 6 on 5s and I saw some positive reaction from my players in this match. We have to appreciate all wins in this field and this one gives us the opportunity to play another strong match tomorrow, against Montenegro. I don’t care of the ranks we achieve here, it’s more important to see the team progressing. I think this young team can cause some pleasant surprise on the long run.”

David Martin, head coach, Spain:
“Even if we secured the first place after two rounds, I would have liked to see more composure from my team. But we began without intensity, without focus and that led to go 3-0 and 6-1 down. Yes, perhaps our mind was already on the Sunday final against Croatia – there we have to return to our previous form. It’s going to be tough but I hope we can play a good match with the world champions.”

7 April 2018