After six months without competition, the Elite clubs are finally back on the court, with the first day of Starligue starting this Thursday.
PSG, which started its European campaign badly with a home defeat against the Germans in Flensburg (28-29), sets out to conquer a seventh title in a row during a 2020-2021 season that looms uncertain due to the health crisis.
Moreover, Créteil, one of the four other clubs engaged in Starligue, requested the postponement of his match (accepted by the National League) due to several positive cases of Covid-19.
Tremblay opens the ball this Thursday (8 p.m.) with a trip to Istres while waiting for PSG - Aix and Nantes - Ivry on Sunday.
An 8th star for Paris?
On paper, it is obvious that PSG are starting from a favorite position for the title they have won seven times, including six in a row since 2015. To compensate for the biggest departures (Sagosen, Corrales, Abalo), several internationals French (Grébille, Prandi, Genty) have arrived.
Apart from the risk of contamination linked to the health crisis, one element can nevertheless seize the winning machine with the hellish pace imposed on Parisians.
The latter will play almost one match every three days, including after Christmas with the rescheduled Final Four of the 2019-2020 Champions League.
Meeting point:
PSG - Aix, Sunday (5 p.m.)
The player to
watch: Dainis Kristopans.
First, because he's a giant.
Standing 2.15 m tall, the 29-year-old Latvian is one of the greatest players in the history of handball.
Then because he is a left-hander, a characteristic that each team must have.
Finally because his time in Skopje (2017-2020) allowed him to win the Champions League in 2019.
Tremblay looks higher
Used to 1st Division games for fifteen seasons (apart from one year in D 2 in 2016-2017), the flagship club of Seine-Saint-Denis was maintained following the premature end of the previous year.
He starts off on new bases with a new trainer.
Joël Da Silva, who distinguished himself at the head of Saint-Raphaël until the end of 2019, arrives with a full head: “The objective is to do better than previously.
We must look higher than just maintenance.
The preparation went very well, with a group that is not afraid of the effort.
I immediately felt at ease with him.
"
With a workforce that has changed little (three departures for as many arrivals), Tremblay will play the card of cohesion.
“Our six friendlies have given each player confidence.
Except that it does not replace the rhythm of a championship!
We will therefore have to wait five or six days to find our place.
Everything is not perfect and it is normal.
In everything we do, seriousness comes first.
"
Meeting point:
Istres - TREMBLAY, Thursday (8 p.m.)
The player to watch
: Patrice Annonay
“Choosing an experienced player of 41 years (including eleven spent at PSG) is no coincidence, argues Joël Da Silva.
Patrice, by his charisma, is the perfect leader to make the club shine again.
Ten years after his final in the European Cup (cup winners), it would be a real symbol.
"
Ivry has "a very competitive team"
Today, all is well on the side of the second most successful club in the French Championship (8 times).
If Sébastien Quintallet lost the two Bataille brothers (Mathieu in Nantes, Benjamin in Montpellier), the coach knows that he can count on his three new recruits, including the former Parisian Robin Dourte: “We have a very competitive team, which remained on a good start to the return phase before the Covid-19 came to stop everything.
"
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As in Créteil, the virus has passed through the ranks of neighboring Val-de-Marne.
“Everything is settled but we have seen the damage that this can do, continues Quintallet.
The players are arrested for a long time, they have to pass a battery of exams.
I hope that the club will not have to deal with this kind of situation again.
"
Meeting point:
Nantes - IVRY, Sunday (5 p.m.)
The player to watch
: Linus Persson
The Swedish international (eight appearances at the 2016 European Championship) begins his third season under the colors of Ivry.
"I put him forward because he is a top-class player," says his coach.
Last year, he was unable to speak due to a knee injury.
Everything has since returned to normal.
"
Créteil in uncertainty
Saved at the end of the day like its neighbor from Tremblays, Créteil, on the other hand, displays much less ambition.
The revelation in its ranks of several contaminations did not help matters.
“The guys were happy to meet again, then we finished preparing in an anxiety-inducing atmosphere because of the disease, blows the coach Pierre Montorier, himself affected by the virus in early April.
We only played three friendlies out of six, which also cut our momentum.
And if the season ends prematurely, that means that you have to take the maximum number of points straight away… ”
To accentuate cohesion, Montorier has decided to reduce its workforce to fifteen players, with five starts and one finish (William Benezit from Chartres): “It's a will on my part.
When it came to filling in the scoresheet, there were five that were left at home each time and that created resentment.
Our strength is our young people who want to prove that they have the level.
"
Meeting point:
Limoges - CRETEIL, Thursday 1 October (8 p.m.)
The player to watch
: Ewan Kervadec
At 22, the son of Guéric Kervadec (217 caps for the French team) is starting his second season with the pros.
"He attacked the hand only at 16 but his progress is significant," notes Montorier.
Ewan is a southpaw who defends and loses few duels, which is unusual.
He will have Javier (Borragan, 31) in the same position (right-back), who will pull him up.
"