Speaking to the Lusa, the coach who once again led the 'wolves' to the biggest international competition in the sport, admitted not knowing if the responsibility is "greater" due to the status of the competition.

“I don't know if the responsibility is greater, but we have to show that we deserve to qualify for the World Cup and that the level of our game is good enough to be there. I wouldn't say it's a responsibility, but rather a requirement we have with ourselves”, said Patrice Lagisquet.

The Europe Championship 2023 starts on Saturday and is now played in a different format from the usual 'round robin' (all against all in one round), where the team that added the most points in the five games played was 'crowned' European champion.

Regarding the objectives of the Portuguese team for this tournament, in particular, Lagisquet assumed that when Portugal enters a competition “it has to be to win”, a 'motto' that carries over to all games, including those that Portugal played “with Japan, Italy and Georgia” over the past two years.

However, "the main objective" of Portugal will be "to continue to improve, to show evolution in its level of play and that it is capable of competing with the best teams in the world".

The group stage of the Europe Championship 2023 takes place between February 4th and 19th, while the semi-finals are scheduled for March 4th and 5th and the final for March 18th or 19th.