When Alfred Gislason answered this afternoon, the mood was good, very good in fact. This may also be due to a longer interview break that the national coach prescribed – in order to escape from the “always the same questions” he made himself rare. When asked about it, he immediately has to laugh because it’s not like him to leave contact.
A sense of duty and a fundamental approach prevent this. At his club positions in Magdeburg (1999 to 2006) and Kiel (2008 to 2019) he was not only head coach, but also press spokesman and representative of the clubs. Gislason was always available and mostly friendly, which made the often given label of “grumpy Icelandic” seem rather inappropriate.
The 64-year-old man from Akureyri in the north of the volcanic island is now once again the most popular person to talk to at the German Handball Association (DHB). You can calmly ask him the “always the same questions” without him getting angry. But you can also simply ask him about the first opponent at the European Championships: the strong Switzerland on January 10th in the Düsseldorf football stadium. He doesn’t make the task against Andy Schmid and Co. any bigger than it is: “We know the importance of the game. But when the game is going, the players know what they have to do to get the points.”
“I’m very satisfied”
At this point, Gislason is already showing a different character than in his previous tournaments since the 2021 World Cup in Egypt: Gislason has gained confidence. In himself, as a national coach. And in this team. His is. He says: “I’ve been there for three years and we now have a completely rebuilt team. This team has found itself. I am very happy with the development of these players.”
From the team that finished fourth in Denmark in January five years ago, only goalkeeper Andreas Wolff remained in the central position. Uwe Gensheimer, Martin Strobel, Steffen Weinhold, Patrick Wiencek, Hendrik Pekeler: all handball retirees or on the way there. Gislason has formed his axis.
Still young, but already experienced: Juri Knorr : Image: dpa
There is pride in having established Julian Köster and Juri Knorr as national players at a young age – and in the well-known problem area, the backcourt. The reason why this team is no longer perceived as Gislason’s team is because they have missed out on medals so far. That should change: “I want the trend to continue upwards.”
The struggle for an attitude towards one’s own team has come to a temporary end. Gislason had repeatedly struggled with the cancellations, the injuries and the opportunities, which was understandable especially in Egypt when many regular players canceled, and at the European Championships two years ago in Slovakia when almost everyone fell ill with Corona. As recently as this fall, he was still heard speaking cautiously about this team and its possibilities. Because of poor form and injuries, he didn’t know who he could plan with. Skepticism prevailed.
