Coach urgently seeking German handball talent
Article:
German Handball Team's Shock Start Leaves Coach Seething
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp E-Mail Print Copy Link
The harmony within the German handball team is a fragile balance. In their recent European Championship qualifier match in Switzerland, they barely managed a draw, leaving their coach, Alfred Gislason, seething.
"We played a bloody awful first half, I've gotta confess," the coach raged about his team's slow start yet again, counting "nine missed shots and eight technical fumbles."
The final sprint, including the last-second equalizer in Switzerland (32:32), did little to appease Gislason, as his team's poor start left him muttering curses. After ten minutes, it was 1:5, and 8:13 just before halftime - a far cry from Gislason's vision of an early group win. So, he let loose a torrent of words with his stars right there and then.
"I reckon some were far too complacent," Gislason snapped. Specifically in the first half, he saw "movels from the back court that were nonexistent, save for a free throw. We let ourselves get bogged down, played too cautiously. I don't bloody know, man," the Icelander said, frustrated.
"Not Good Enough"
An explanation is hard to find, but a certain pattern is emerging. Already at the World Cup, it was often the initial phase that caused problems for the DHB team. In Switzerland, captain Johannes Golla and co. needed a considerable amount of time to get going. "Apart from the last ten minutes, I can't come up with much praise for the game. It wasn't good enough how we played for long stretches," said Golla.
- Sports "Wake-up Call" "Bloody Poor" Handballers Salvage Game with Fierce Finish At least, the strong finish with eight goals in eight and a half minutes, the equalizer coming from a penalty shot by Juri Knorr in the final second, saved the day. Although the final EM qualification match against Turkey, who are at best third-rate internationally, in Stuttgart on Sunday (6 pm/Sportschau.de) no longer has any table significance - Germany is already qualified for the EM finals as group winners - Gislason demands a significant performance improvement.
The Struggle for a Good Feeling
"We simply have to play better against Turkey," said the coach: "I expect us to start the game differently. There's a lot we need to improve significantly." Golla, looking ahead to the last international match of the season, said: "After that, we won't see each other for a long time. We want to say goodbye to each other in October with a good feeling."
Gislason found a few bright spots. The performances of outside players Tim Nothdurft (3 goals from 3 attempts) and debutant Mathis Häseler (4 from 4) were "bloody marvellous," and he liked Luca Witzke and Knorr in the second half in the back court. However, he didn't want to highlight much positive.
Germany is facing a critical juncture in their qualification campaign, as Turkey looms large on the horizon. The coach and the players are desperate to erase their recent stumbles and reclaim their dominance on the court, not just for the sake of the upcoming European Championship, but also for their pride and the handball community that looks up to them.
Source: ntv.de, tno/sid
- Handball
- German National Handball Team
- The German handball national team's slow starts, such as the one in Switzerland, have been a recurring issue, as witnessed by their coach, Alfred Gislason, who lamented their "bloody poor" first half performance.
- Despite a strong finish that included an equalizer by Juri Knorr in the final second, the team's overall performance against Switzerland was "not good enough," according to captain Johannes Golla.
- Ahead of their final international match of the season against Turkey, Golla expressed the need for the team to play better and start the game differently, aiming to end the season on a high note and say goodbye with a "good feeling."
- The upcoming match against Turkey is crucial for Germany, as they are determined to erase their recent stumbles, reclaim their dominance on the court, and regain the respect of the handball community.
