German handball players before the world championship: a balancing act of goose bumps and tactics
On the very first evening of the world championship preparation, the team’s captain patrick wiencek got goose bumps, according to his own statement.
On friday evening in barsinghausen, the german handball players swore themselves in for the upcoming world championship at home (10. Up to 27. January) a. "Now we all know: that’s it, we’re done – we can now concentrate fully on the world cup," said wiencek of THW kiel in the small town of lower saxony just 30 kilometers southwest of hanover.
Directly at the deister – a high mountain range in the weserbergland – national coach christian prokop emotionally prepares his 18-man squad for the event in germany and denmark on the last weekend of the year. "You experience a home world cup like this maybe once, maybe twice," said wiencek. "The tension is now rising. Every player is also eager."
In addition to team-building sessions at the sports hotel on friday and saturday evenings, prokop also provides tactical training. "We are now undisturbed in the inner circle and can work according to plan. Here we want to build up a good atmosphere now," said prokop, who turned 40 on christmas eve.
For the short course in barsinghausen, prokop is aiming for a "balancing act between anticipation and serious issues. By sunday afternoon, offensive formations in particular will be rehearsed for the preliminary round matches in berlin against a wide variety of opponents. "There are already load peaks built in," said prokop, who, however, refrains from purely athletic units in the middle of the season. Until thursday his players were still in action in the federal league.
Prokop was all the more relieved to be able to bury only fit players at the start of world cup preparations, apart from the slightly injured matthias musche. SC magdeburg’s left wing arrived with a minor capsule injury and is only training on a limited basis. "I assume that he will be available from 2. January is fully operational," said prokop.
After two days off over the turn of the year, the german handball federation (DHB) will meet again in hamburg. In order for the personnel situation to improve before the final tests on 4. January against the czech republic in hanover and on 6. January against argentina in kiel, prokop joked: "the only stipulation is that the women ignite the new year’s eve firecrackers and not the men."
Preferably without spat consequences of the new year’s eve prokop wants to make his difficult decision, which two players from the current squad he still to the first world cup game against the united korean team on 10. January in berlin cancels. "As of today, we will travel to berlin with 16 players," prokop announced and spoke of "bitter decisions" that are now pending. He didn’t want to say how many candidates he sees in his team: "the chances are good for all of them."
