Johannes Golla: Herculean task for the handball giant from Handewitt

Sor 70 days, Johannes Golla has been the captain of the German national handball team. But the short phase was enough to create a novelty. “In my 40-year career I have never had a captain who called me so often,” reports national coach Alfred Gislason. “He talks to me about all sorts of topics. I think that’s impressive. “

Correct communication and pioneering analyzes will also be crucial at the continental showdown that begins on January 13th in Hungary and Slovakia. Germany’s best ball throwers are in a massive upheaval, automatisms on the playing field still have to be set in the selection with nine tournament debutants.

Golla, 24, should help to ensure that everything quickly goes in the right direction: as a captain, head of defense, cyclist and role model. It is a Herculean task for the giant of SG Flensburg-Handewitt.

The fact that Golla was chosen as the new leader after the resignation of long-time captain Uwe Gensheimer is due to his rapid development. A year ago he benefited from the cancellation of several regular players at the World Cup and rose to be the new head of defense. Then he took part in the Olympics and was named captain. And in between he also became the father of a daughter: Juna Liv is ten months old. “In retrospect, it does indeed seem a bit crazy,” explains Golla WELT AM SONNTAG. “It was a very turbulent time both in sport and in private. All in all, it went really well for me and of course I hope it will continue like this. “

Suffering of a young father

For this, the man with the impressive stature of 1.95 meters in height and 110 kilograms first of all has to accept that he can only see his small family from a distance. On Wednesday Golla and his teammates set off for Bratislava, where Germany will meet Belarus, Austria and Poland during the preliminary round.

“I did the math the other day: In the first year of my daughter’s life, the national team alone will give me three months that I have missed,” says Golla. “That is enormous. But we accept that. Nonetheless, being away from home this often is not the best situation for a young father. During the EM I will try to be facetiming as often as possible. “

How long he will be gone is one of the big questions before the start of the European Championship. Whether the business trip actually lasts until the final on January 30th or ends after the preliminary or main round, nobody in the crowd of Germans can really say. One thing is certain: for the first time in years, quieter tones are being struck and winning a medal is not taken into account.

“The goal is rather that we find ourselves as a team and lay the foundation for the next few years to attack again at the top,” says Golla – and agrees with his boss when assessing the current performance of the German team. “We have a lot of players in the squad who haven’t even played ten international matches,” says national coach Gislason WELT AM SONNTAG. “At the EM we will gradually find out where we are at the moment. There will be a team on the field that has almost never played together like this. “

“Extreme shame”

Gislason, who in 2020 took over the post of national coach from the equally hapless and haphazard Christian Prokop and who was able to cheer a 30:26 against Switzerland and a 35:34 against France in the last two test matches before the start of the European Championship, now has to do that Getting the best out of the rest. The German handball institution Uwe Gensheimer (204 international matches) is missing, as is ex-world champion Johannes Bitter (170), backcourt players Fabian Wiede (84) and Paul Drux (108) and world-class player Hendrik Pekeler (122).

The first two have ended their national team careers, the other three are taking a break for fear of being overburdened. And Juri Knorr, promising playmaker talent, has to pass because he has not been vaccinated against Corona and is now not allowed to compete in the tournament, which is held under strict 2G regulations.

“For a handball nation like Germany, it is extremely unfortunate that people over 30 are often no longer willing to continue in the national team. Other countries don’t have that concern, ”says the 62-year-old Gislason. He was disappointed that some of the best players would cancel him with unpleasant regularity.

And captain Golla says about the personnel problem: “I hope that the national team quickly regains the status that everyone likes to be there and that they accept certain personal losses during the time.”

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The colossus in the circle could serve as a shining example in the future with its gift of balancing work and family. The appreciation he already has becomes clear in Gislason’s Eloge: “Johannes is a strong team player and, despite his calm demeanor, an important figure for the team. The fact that he’s only 24 is secondary. He’s a very good captain and one of our top performers in defense and attack. I hope that we can rely on him for another 15 years. “