Carlos Ortega:

The victory of IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun at the Palacio de los Deportes de la Rioja decided last Saturday the final stretch of the fight for the conquest of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL. Barça, who had done their homework hours earlier against ABANCA Ademar León, mathematically lifted the title, away for the first time in the last five years from their Palau Blaugrana and the bond with their fans. The celebration on this occasion was intimate.

?I was out and in the afternoon I had a paddle tennis match. I was paying attention to what was happening and how the day was going. At halftime of the match I already saw that the result we needed to be champions could happen. I connected for the last minutes and saw that it was achieved. We have a chat with everyone on the team and the coaching staff and we started congratulating each other. I got home and my wife already knew. I stayed home celebrating with the family, with a good dinner and a glass of wine, very very happy,? Carlos Ortega tells ASOBAL, detailing the ?behind the scenes? of winning the latest Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL championship.

The Barça coach fondly recalls the scene, satisfied. ?We are at a point in the season?s planning with a bit of load. We played on Friday and the players had a mandatory weight session on Saturday, free, without having to do it at the facilities at a specific time, so we didn?t see each other. This Monday we have already trained normally, we had congratulated each other, but at the start I told them again. I congratulated them not only for the title but for how they achieved it. For me, that is the most important thing. I think it has been a very serious season and the team is playing at a great level,? the coach points out, satisfied, valuing the work done.

Ortega talks about the how. He especially highlights the commitment of his players, aware of their theoretical favoritism and the pressure of their status, with no margin for error. He makes it clear that the title is far from any circumstantial premise or inertia. The team has worked all season not to fail in any matchday and to maintain a cruising pace that also rules in Europe. It is a banner shared by the heavyweights of the team, with captain Dika Mem at the forefront, and the young players who work to carve out a place at the Palau Blaugrana.

?I always say that playing for Barça is not easy. Besides winning, you have to win trying to do it as best as possible. And I think this year we have achieved that. The league is the obligation, with all that it implies. The rest, the Champions League, is the dream. We try to value the professional competition at all times. Last year we lost 5 points and won the title weeks later, it seemed that sportingly we could come out badly. I think we have shown that our young players are very hungry and that the more veteran players have the same ambition as always,? the coach comments, focusing on the balance of ages and roles in his locker room.

Barça has known how to build a project in motion, which has evolved especially in the last two seasons from youth, the academy, and the development of talent in the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL, a key ecosystem in the formula of this success. ?It is very complicated to maintain regularity, concentration, because the schedule is demanding, we have to travel, there are also matches in Europe, manage loads and make sure everyone always keeps their feet on the ground. The arrival of so many young players has been good, especially those who had been academy players, like Djordje, Barrufet, Grau, Dani, or the contribution of Adrián Sola or Manuel. They have brought a lot of hunger, they have pushed the rest of the team,? Ortega analyzes, emphasizing a key point.

The Barça coach values his fifth Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL title from the always difficult feeling of a job well done after nine months of competition and continuous evaluation on the court. ?I think this hunger we mentioned, their desire, has helped a lot for us to take every league match with maximum seriousness and commitment. I could tell you that in 99% of the cases it has been like that, I don?t remember any match where I left with a bad feeling, and that is not easy. It has even happened to me in the closest matches, like against IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun at the Palau, which was very tight due to the absolute merit of their great game. That satisfaction I take home is what I value most about this title,? he comments.

Ortega contextualizes and gives value to winning the professional competition as one of its main protagonists, able to appreciate firsthand the steps forward being taken and the improvement of the product, starting with a guild of coaches that proves to be absolute international elite. ?Very good work is being done. There are teams that press you, that try to find a way around you, how to attack or defend you. For example, Dicorpebal Logroño La Rioja with Miguel Velasco, to name one, always tries to find that way around to see how to catch us. Or Mozas in Irun. The players prepare the same, to be as competitive as possible and make things very difficult for us. We are in a league that reinvents itself and is always competitive,? explains the former Barça player as well, outlining an immediate future that continues to excite.

The show does not stop. Lifting the championship title is not the last step for his Barça, which prepares to maintain the competitive ceiling in the remaining six matchdays of Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL and, especially, the challenge of maintaining this dominance in the EHF Champions League. ?Maximum seriousness from now until the end of the season, it cannot be otherwise. We have been doing a bit more load for a while to arrive as sharp as possible at this point in the season. It was noticeable a bit in Puente Genil, but the other day against ABANCA Ademar León the team was splendid in terms of running and decision-making in the counterattack. This week we will start lowering the volume of these trainings to be well and hope we don?t get injuries,? says the coach, hours before facing REBI Balonmano Cuenca tonight (8pm, LALIGA+), already as Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL champion.