Germans are shaking before the start of the European Handball Championship: ‘Switzerland gives me a stomach ache’

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The well-known German self-image was not felt everywhere before the start of the European Handball Championship. “Switzerland really gives me a stomach ache,” says Stefan Kretzschmar (50) in an expert talk on streaming service Dyn.

More than 15 years after his retirement, the former world-class player is still one of the most important figures in German handball, whether as a TV pundit or sports director of Bundesliga club Füchse Berlin. He communicates regularly with Andy Schmid. Kretzschmar is also impressed by the rest of the national team: “This is a very good team that can cause us real problems. The only weak point is the right back.” In fact, this is the only position in which Switzerland cannot field a Bundesliga professional.

Kretzschmar predicts: “The match against Switzerland is the expected final and the most important match of the tournament for us.” One thing is clear: Because only the top two advance and there is hardly any chance of getting past the French in Group A, the loser of this opening match is already on the verge of being eliminated from the European Championship.

Germany coach Gislason calmly

The German team is not yet as worried as expert Kretzschmar. “It doesn’t matter to me who is the favorite,” says national coach Alfred Gislason (64). The Icelander has never been a man of big words. But German coaches also went into a match against Switzerland with bigger chests. Gislason doesn’t want to know anything about nervousness or even pressure. “The mood here is exceptionally good.”

His Swiss counterpart Michael Suter (49) has a clear plan for his last major tournament as national coach: “We have to get through the first fifteen minutes well. The most important thing is to prevent the Germans from playing at a high pace and prevent a second wave.” Swiss defensive player Lenny Rubin (27) also sees the key to a coup in defense: “We will need a strong Nikola Portner in goal and stable coverage.”

Defense is the key

Rubin himself will play a central role. Due to the injury-related absence of defense chief Samuel Röthlisberger, the 2.05 meter tall man now covers in the inside block. A change that worked well in the three friendly victories in the Yellow Cup. However, the opponents were also far from the caliber of the Germans. Rubin: “Thanks to Andy and now Manuel Zehnder, we have so much offensive quality that we will find solutions.”

For Zehnder, currently top scorer in the Bundesliga, there was a special note on Wednesday evening (SRF broadcasts from 8:10 PM) in front of 53,000 fans in Düsseldorf: as a German-Swiss dual nationality, he left it open for a long time which national team he wanted to play for. When Germany coach Gislason asked him, Zehnder had already chosen Switzerland.

Source : Blick