Croatia appoint Cédric Énard as head coach of men’s national team

Cédric Énard of France replaces Emanuele Zanini at the helm of the Croatian men’s national team – as confirmed by the Croatian Volleyball Federation. The Frenchman, who was until last year the head coach of Team Estonia, claimed a bronze medal from the last edition of the CEV Golden European League with the players from the Baltic country.

Cédric Énard is a well-known name, especially through his current tenure at the BERLIN Recycling Volleys, with whom he claimed the German national league and Supercup last year, among other accolades from German domestic competitions. In the 2017/2018 season, he helped TOURS VB win the French national league and for two years, he was assistant coach of the French national team.

What were the reasons for accepting this role with the Croatian national team?

“I still consider myself a young and ambitious coach and I have a strong desire for new challenges, so I was looking for a team with which I will achieve my goals. Croatian sport has been growing strongly in recent years, and I am impressed with your sporting successes. Therefore, my desire to lead the Croatian men’s Volleyball team has grown with the time, as Croatian athletes are very ambitious, dedicated and have a sporty way of thinking.”

Last year, you led the Estonian national team in the match against Croatia at the European Championship. What do you remember from that game?

“I remember that Croatia is a competitive team that does not give up. In our group, France and Germany easily qualified for the next phase of the competition, and Croatia were third ahead of Latvia, Slovakia and Estonia and I can say that they did well in the competition. Coach Zanini built a stable team. Marko Sedlaček and Leo Andrić are excellent players. What amazed me was the behaviour of the team on the court. They showed a strong will and desire to win and great fighting spirit. Estonia took a 2-0 lead, but the Croats showed great fighting spirit and eventually won. It was an important match for them to move further in the tournament.”

What are your experiences with Croatian Volleyball?

“I know Croatian players, especially Tomislav Ćosković because he played in France and I am extremely happy that we will work together, as he will be my assistant coach. Igor Omrčen is a legendary Croatian player whom I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to meet. However, I had experiences with Croatian players in France, where I met Igor Juričić, Ratko Peris, Šime Vulin. Roko Sikirić left a big mark in Berlin, the club I train now. I also worked for a long time with Mladen Kašić, a coach who played in Poitiers, my hometown, where I started my career, and Mladen helped me a lot. I developed a great friendship with him. Many quality Croatian players have played in France.”

What can Croatian fans expect from the national team under your leadership?

“What I like about the Croatian team is the fighting spirit. I have been playing Volleyball since I was a child and I have always stood out for my fighting spirit, so I immediately recognised that asset in the Croatian team. I like it that they are ambitious and do their best on the court to win. Service and reception are the biggest elements of modern Volleyball. I have high hopes and I will put an emphasis on the service because I believe that this is the most important element. As a French coach, I cultivate this French style of play characterised by the first contact with the ball to be as good as possible. In addition, good defence and service reception are important to me. This is something that is invisible even in statistics, but I think these elements are very important. I have always been a coach who helps young players to perform as well as possible. We have captain Zhukouski who is a very experienced player and who is currently playing very well in Russia, but also many young talented players who are the future of the national team. It takes experience in certain positions, and that builds over time.”

What will be the main goals of the national team?

“The main goal is the European Championship. We have the qualifiers in August and it will be very important to be part of EuroVolley next year. This is a very important step in our development process. This summer we will play in the Golden European League, and the Final Four is in Croatia. Our goal is to reach the finals and achieve the best possible result at the Mediterranean Games. These competitions will strengthen the team and are important for younger players who will gain the necessary experience. I have never been to Croatia before and I cannot wait to start working in a new country of which I have heard only the best things.”