Handball: “I am part of the continuity of Olivier Krumbholz”, claims Sébastien Gardillou

Former coach of the French junior women’s team, video analyst for Les Bleues, then coach of Metz (championship-League Cup double in 2011) and Nice, Sébastien Gardillou (49) became assistant to coach Olivier Krumbholz in 2016 , who won 15 medals with Les Bleues from 1998 to 2013, then from 2016 to 2024.

In eight years of collaboration, the two technicians won four titles together (2 world championships and one European championship, and the 2020 Olympics) and four other medals. It is therefore quite natural that the native of Périgueux took over from Mosellan in September, after the Games where the Bleues became Olympic vice-champions. Before starting the Euro against Poland (group C), this Thursday, November 28 in Basel (Switzerland), Sébastien Gardillou returned to his new mission.

After having been in the shadow of Olivier Krumbholz, it must not be easy to succeed the man who made French women’s handball what it is today…

I don’t feel any particular pressure because pressure is what I have been used to for years working with a group, notably the French team. I enjoy doing what I do today.

I am lucky to have a very attentive and involved group, and we have worked long enough with Olivier to have a fairly clear idea of ​​what is necessary to put in place at certain times. Now, the decisions will have to be made. I am changing roles and I will better understand the scale of the task in the days to come…

You chose two deputies, why?

They are complementary. David Burguin has been a member of the staff since 2017, he is a rigorous, involved and passionate person, whose background is close to mine – he worked like me as a video analyst for the France team –, and I was looking for someone who had great abilities and a quality of exchange.

As for Amandine Leynaud, who already trained goalkeepers, she is today at the same level as David, but her work concerns the training and supervision of goalkeepers. She also has a keen eye on the defensive side.

What is your objective in this first official competition as coach?

Initially, the objective is to come out undefeated by having capitalized as many points as possible during the preliminary round to enter the main round with arguments. Personally, I would like us to qualify for the semi-finals.

This is a high objective because the Euro is the most difficult competition in terms of adversity and very high intensity, much more than a world championship. And then, moving on to a Euro after the Olympics is never easy.

When we are the French team, we aim even beyond the last four, right?

When we are the French team, we remain a nation among the favorites. However, we have never been able to win a Euro, except in 2018, but that was at home and that is not anecdotal. A journey is marked out…

If we arrive in the semi-final with a confident collective, with few or no poor performances and good exploitation of the rotations on the bench, therefore a team full of energy, then, at that moment, we will be able to think in terms of hard and fast results. I will enter this competition with all the necessary humility and a fierce desire to continue the results of the French team.

In terms of vision of the game, are you going to subscribe to what was Olivier Krumbholz’s trademark, namely a game built around a big defense with a very solid goalkeeper and players capable of projecting quickly, Or do you plan to open other projects in the long term?

You don’t change a team that wins and processes that work. Olivier has demonstrated all his competence and acuity in the international context. What I learned a lot from him was pragmatism. So, for the Euro, given the little time I have, I don’t see myself calling into question what has made the French team successful, I am part of the continuity.

But, if there is a long-term project that can animate me, it is the game on the big space, because we can largely improve on the rise of the ball. The opposing nations spend their time analyzing us and have implemented strategies for the counterattacks that we have identified. It’s up to us to find the solution.