Handball World Cup
Olympics in view: DHB women are looking for the “reset” button
Looking forward after the German defeat against Sweden: Alina Grijseels. photo
© Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix Photo/AP/dpa
There is sadness, frustration and helplessness among Germany’s handball players after their exit in the World Cup quarter-finals. It is difficult to look ahead. But there is still a lot at stake for the DHB team at the World Cup.
Alina Grijseels was the first to find optimism again. When her teammates cried with disappointment in the interview zone and tried in vain to explain the sobering handball performance in the World Cup quarter-finals, the co-captain already looked ahead.
“We still have two games left. Now we have to get fifth place. We want to play better against good opponents and take this feeling with us into the game Olympic qualification,” Grijseels appealed to her teammates.
The tournament in Scandinavia is not over for the DHB selection, even if it may have felt that way for the majority of the players after the 20:27 defeat against Sweden. Anything from fifth to eighth place is possible. Two wins at the end would not only be helpful for the mood, but also to move into a supposedly easier group at the Olympic qualifying tournament. “I believe that we have a team that allows us to look forward to the next few days with courage,” said sports director Axel Kromer.
The trend is correct
The DHB team cannot afford to approach the game against the Czech Republic on Friday (11.30 a.m./Sportdeutschland.tv) at half speed. “We want results again to build up mentality,” demanded Kromer and attested to his players’ positive development. “We are satisfied with the team’s trend. We won’t let the trend talk us down,” said the 46-year-old.
Kromer did not miss the fact that there is a pattern to the performances of German handball players at major tournaments. Confident performances in the preliminary and main rounds make players, coaches and fans dream of a big coup. The drop in performance always occurs when it counts: in the knockout phase. Three times seventh and once eighth are the results of the past European and World Championships.
Gap to top four nations
Fifth place in Scandinavia would still not be the semi-final we were hoping for, but at least on paper it would be closer to the top nations France, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. “Everyone has to question themselves as to why they haven’t reached their performance limit,” demanded Grijeseels after a desolate first half against Sweden and admitted: “Today we saw that we are not yet one of the top four nations.
The handball players have been waiting for a medal since 2007. The next attempt will be at the European Championships next year. But nobody thought about that after the Sweden game.
The entire range of emotions
Frustration, emptiness, disappointment, helplessness. The emotions of the German handball players on Wednesday covered the entire negative range of emotions. The DHB squad had one day to collect themselves. In order to begin to process the sometimes desolate performance against the Scandinavians. To encourage each other and start the placement game against the Czech Republic with new energy.
At first no one knew how this would succeed. National coach Markus Gaugisch’s players stood in the interview zone completely dismayed. There, where Katharina Filter and Co. had praised the team’s positive development with a broad grin just two days earlier, there was perplexity. “Starting tomorrow we will press reset,” announced Emily Bölk, at least somewhat regaining her optimism.