Handball
DHB team with a newcomer and four U21 world champions to the European Championships
The squad for the men’s home European Championships has been determined. photo
© Andreas Gora/dpa
Alfred Gislason is relying on a mix of youth and routine at the European Handball Championships. The national coach is preparing for the home tournament in January with 19 players.
With four European champions from 2016, four U21 world champions and a newcomer, national coach Alfred Gislason is on the medal mission at the Handball European Championships.
The 64-year-old Icelander nominated 19 players with whom he will begin immediate preparation for the home finals from January 10th to 28th at a course in Frankfurt am Main next Wednesday.
“A really strong team”
“We have a really strong team that has very high quality and self-confidence and knows that the outstanding German home crowd has their backs,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer about the squad.
From the European Championship triumph almost eight years ago, world-class goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, left winger Rune Dahmke, backcourt player Kai Häfner and pivot Jannik Kohlbacher are still there. From the U21 team that won the World Cup last summer, goalkeeper David Späth, backcourt players Renars Uscins and Nils Lichtlein and pivot Justus Fischer made it into the squad.
Fischer the youngest, Groetzki the most experienced
Fischer is the youngest in the DHB team at 20 years old, while right winger Patrick Groetzki is the most experienced at 34 years old and with 171 international matches. Martin Hanne is there for the first time. The 22-year-old right-hander from Bundesliga club TSV Hannover-Burgdorf is a candidate for the left back.
At the European Championships, the German team will face Switzerland, North Macedonia and record world champions France in the preliminary round. The first two teams in the group reach the main round. “I’m looking forward to our team, the work in preparation and the tournament itself,” said Gislason.
DHB squad schedule and results DHB selection European Championship schedule