“Step by step – you can’t skip stages”: Miha Zarabec on Wisła’s Champions League journey
Polish champions Orlen Wisła Płock have made an impressive start to the EHF Champions League season. One of the team’s leaders, Slovenian playmaker Miha Zarabec – formerly of RK Trimo Trebnje, RK Maribor, RK Celje Pivovarna Laško and THW Kiel – spoke in a Balkan-Handball.com podcast about the Polish champions’ ambitions, his move to Płock in the summer of 2023, the upcoming transfer of fellow countryman Domen Makuc to Kiel, and much more.
The Polish side opened the season with a 2-1 record in the EHF Champions League. Expectations are high, especially after the summer signings of Dika Mem’s replacement Melvyn Richardson, powerful shooter Sergey Kosorotov, goalkeeper Torbjørn Bergerud, and rising star Zoran Ilić.
“In the previous two seasons we started away and were 0-4 in points. That made the whole season difficult, we barely scraped through the main round. Now we’ve started 4-0, beating Szeged away and Zagreb at home, we’ve gained confidence and security. We know we’re a good team and that we have quality. With Kosorotov we got a shooter we didn’t have before, while Richardson and Ilić can play both attack and defense – real top players. We have depth now. Earlier our system was mostly one-on-one, now we play with long-range shooting and two-on-two situations. It’s a pity we lost in Magdeburg, we deserved a point. Next is Pelister. Everyone knows in the Champions League one or two games in April make the difference – we just need to stay healthy. With Xavi Sabaté every training is a competition – there’s positive rivalry in the squad.”
From Kiel to Płock
After six years with Kiel, Zarabec decided to continue his career in Poland. The Trebnje native has no regrets:
“I look at my whole career as a school. I learned and fought, first under Gislason, then under Jícha – every step was a lesson. I enjoyed it, but I’ve improved the most here in Płock – physically, mentally, tactically. It’s much easier to play this style of handball. I’ve extended my career, I feel great. I could have left the Bundesliga earlier, but the Bundesliga is the Bundesliga – I always dreamed of playing there and I won it a few times. But when I saw Xavi Sabaté’s vision and the way the club works, I decided immediately – there was no doubt. Xavi is a perfectionist. Every detail, every move – he has it all in his head. He analyzes so much that you are prepared for every match. It’s not hard with him, because I love what I do. It’s all in training and preparation.”
On Domen Makuc’s move to Kiel
Following in his footsteps, Domen Makuc will join Kiel in the summer of 2026 after leaving Barcelona. Zarabec believes it’s the right move:
“We talked when he got the offer. I told him it’s the club for him. The way Jícha’s handball works – it all depends on the playmaker having that extra move. Domen is made for that style. When you see Skipagotu (Skipagotu Johansson) in Kiel, how relaxed he plays and enjoys handball, you realize it’s the right environment. Domen, who was in the background in Barcelona, will now have a bigger role and he’ll be very satisfied. The club will gain a lot, and he’s a true professional. I’m sure the transfer will be a big success.”
Kiel then and now
For Zarabec’s generation, Kiel was the ultimate destination:
“For us, Kiel was what Real Madrid is in football. Times change. Now they’ve signed Domen, and Skipagotu. I’m sure in 10 years people will talk about Kiel the same way, when these guys like Johansson reach 35. They slowed down a little, lost a year or two, but they’ll be back. Already they look good and I believe in a couple of years they’ll be the ‘old Kiel’ again.”
Can Wisła become Europe’s next big handball story?
Zarabec is convinced the project in Płock is heading in the right direction, but warns that success at the very top requires patience:
“When I arrived, the first goal was to win the Polish league and beat Kielce – and we did it two years in a row. But ambitions grow. We’ve won everything domestically, the city and sponsors have gathered, and a serious project has been created, which I really like. The pressure is bigger now, but that’s positive – we need it as players. We play for victories and trophies, and now we have profiles like Richardson. Still, you can’t skip steps. The first year we barely made it out of the group, last year we were close against Nantes for the quarterfinal but failed. If you haven’t played a quarterfinal, you can’t dream about the Final Four. It takes time and continuity to earn respect. We’re on the right path, we’re working excellently, but we’re still far from the F4 many people expect.”
— Miha Zarabec for Balkan-Handball.com
