At the end, they all raised their arms, danced together in a circle and enjoyed the applause of the fans. With the 30:29 victory against Russia, there was still a small happy ending for the German national handball team at the end of the European Championship. “I’m very proud of the team,” said national coach Alfred Gislason. “It’s nice that we were able to reward ourselves for the fight and everything we’ve done here.”
By then, a large part of his team had already had to leave Bratislava. Among them Julius Kühn and Kai Häfner, who had so decisively determined the preliminary round and became the pillars of the newly assembled team. But the coronavirus had other plans. The two from Melsunger, like 13 other players, received positive PCR tests in the past few days and then had to watch the tournament, which was held in Hungary and Slovakia, on TV.
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And there they saw a team that could improve from game to game. A team that made a lot of technical mistakes, but was ultimately able to make up for it through fighting spirit and commitment. At least that was the case against Belarus, Austria and Poland.
The picture changed in the main round. Due to the ten subsequent nominations, the team had more experience in purely formal terms, but there was a lack of coordination. It was little things that became the decisive factor against the defending champion Spain, against the European Championship third Norway and the vice world champion Sweden, but at the same time left little doubt about the current situation of German handball: the Germans cannot keep up with the big ones at the moment .
Germany doesn’t have to worry about new talent
And yet there are many positive aspects. Despite the adverse conditions, Gislason managed to establish two defense systems and to ensure more variability in attack. When the Swedes made a mistake, that was almost enough for a win – also because the German team had found their old defensive strength.
The tournament also showed that after the personnel changes that accompanied the resignations of Steffen Weinhold, Uwe Gensheimer and Hendrik Pekeler, Germany does not have to worry about new talent. There’s a Lukas Zerbe, who not only acts cold-heartedly on the outside, but also fights just as consistently in defence.
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There’s a Till Klimpke in goal who doesn’t have to hide behind Andreas Wolff’s broad shoulders. And then there is Julian Köster, who, at the age of 21, was able to inspire handball Germany because he is not afraid to look for and use his chance again and again. Because he still sees the man next to him and is able to continue playing the ball at the decisive moment. And because he completes himself with his performance in defense.
Köster stands for what the German Handball Federation claims as a concept
Köster, who in everyday life “plays the second division to the core”, as his teammate Timo Kastening put it, has probably left the most conspicuous calling card in the German team and has attracted the attention of many a club. The Gummersbacher not only impresses with his explosiveness on the field, but also with his level-headed habitus away from the game.
“I felt the team’s trust and was therefore able to play freely,” said Köster after one of his first appearances. “But it was crazy when you got on the bus and saw so many new faces. It’s a cool feeling to see people live that I otherwise only knew from TV.”
Now he’s the one the viewers can marvel at the receivers. Maybe soon in the weekly broadcasts from the Bundesliga, but most certainly in the upcoming tournaments. Because Köster personalizes exactly what the German Handball Federation is currently claiming as a concept: a young team with potential from which one hopes to win titles again in the coming years.
“It gives me a good feeling that we might even have reached the semi-finals with the whole team,” said Gislason, whose contract had been extended before the European Championship. Continuity should be enforced more instead of building up pressure to succeed. The proclaimed “decade of handball” with three home tournaments from 2024 also stands for this. In this respect, there is still time to further develop the team. But the first step has already been taken.
