Before the European Handball Championships, the German national coach Alfred Gíslason is confronted with criticism of the squad composition. Bob Hanning complained about one personality in particular. Here Gíslason justifies his choice.
Alfred Gíslason’s mission begins in Hanover. The German national handball coach is gathering his squad there for the first time this Sunday. Gíslason now has eleven days to prepare his team as best as possible for the difficult start to the European Championship. Real tough opponents are already waiting in the preliminary round in Herning, Denmark. It’s against Austria (January 15th), Serbia (January 17th) and Spain (January 19th).
Ask: The women sensationally won World Cup silver in December. With a lot of self-confidence and an incredible team spirit. A blueprint for men?
Alfred Gíslason: Yes, that’s exactly how we want to appear.
Ask: What was your focus when nominating the squad?
Gíslason: We placed a lot of emphasis on defense. And on flexibility, on having as many players as possible who can play multiple positions. Otherwise, this is a very young team. She is not one of the most experienced, but she has a lot of experience with each other and is well-coordinated. We expect that we can do very well with this constellation.
Ask: With Andreas Wolff, Rune Dahmke and Jannik Kohlbacher, three European champions from 2016 are there. What can they give the team?
Gíslason: Andi has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world for ten years. He is an extremely important player, our clear No. 1. In my opinion, Rune is one of the best defensive players ever and extremely important for a team, especially for the younger ones. Kohli missed last year because he needed surgery. This year he will most likely have his best season.
Ask: How do you see Juri Knorr’s development since his move to Aalborg?
Gíslason: He did him good. In Mannheim he had a lot of responsibility. In Aalborg he is fighting for his place in a strong team, playing in the Champions League and benefiting from the Danish relaxed nature.
Ask: You didn’t just receive applause for your European Championship nomination, especially because Berlin’s Tim Freihöfer was left out.
Gíslason: We chose Dahmke because we are convinced that he can currently give the team more than other candidates. In the end, we always decide in the interests of the team.
Ask: Bob Hanning from the Füchse sees it differently and criticized your selection.
Gíslason: Everyone sees their club from their own perspective. But it is unusual for another national coach (Hanning trains Italy; editor’s note) publicly criticized our decisions. Freihöfer played a good role for us when he was there. But he is currently not having as strong a season as last year. Bob is very committed to his Berlin players, I know that from him. Other officials could have reacted similarly, but did not go public.
Ask: DHB President Andreas Michelmann recently explained that if the European Championships were not successful, you would have to think about whether your contract would last until 2027. Do you feel pressure?
Gíslason: Yes, namely the one I make for myself. I don’t feel any pressure from outside. I’m not interested in that either. I’ve been here for so long. And have experienced many lows, but many, many more highs. I’m just grateful to have my absolute passion as a job and I enjoy working with the guys. I am extremely happy with it. And I hope that I can get the titles that I don’t have yet.
Ask: Is a return to club handball still an issue for you at some point?
Gíslason: I don’t believe. Last year I had inquiries from very good clubs. Nevertheless, I will continue as long as I enjoy this task and as long as the general conditions are right.
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Ask: Back to the European Championship: Is Denmark the top favorite for the title?
Gíslason: Yes. You are the benchmark. Behind them there are about ten teams that can beat each other. Croatia is very far, European champions France are there, Norway is on the upswing and Portugal is very stable. But Denmark has an absolutely special position.
Ask: Your European Championship goal?
Gíslason: The semi-finals. And when we’re there, of course we want more. We have a difficult group and a very difficult main round. We can’t really let up a point in the preliminary group – against Austria, Serbia and especially Spain. After that usually come Denmark, France, Norway and Portugal. It will be extremely difficult, but we have ambitions.
The text was created for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in BILD AM SONNTAG.
