The second division handball players of HSC 2000 had four days Coburg Time to clear our minds after the failed home game against VfL Eintracht Hagen (32:35). The international break provided a few days off before coach Brian Ankersen called for training again last Wednesday. Before the HSC away game (11./21:25 points) on Saturday (7 p.m., at sportdeutschland.tv) with the Eulen Ludwigshafen (8./26:20) Ankersen was mainly required as a psychologist.
2. Bundesliga
Eulen Ludwigshafen (8th) – HSC 2000 Coburg (11th)
The 34-year-old Dane had “many good conversations” to work through the poor performance against Hagen. Ankersen saw good phases at the beginning and end of the game. But in between there was also a period in which almost nothing had come together. And: The defense did not reach the level it has already shown this season over 60 minutes.
HSC wanted to use the international break for “a new start” and to lick mental and physical wounds. “Mentally we succeeded, physically not,” says Ankersen, alluding to the still tense personnel situation.
The failure list is long
Viktor Glatthard (season out after thigh surgery), Jan Kulhanek (torn biceps tendon), Felix Jaeger (pubic bone inflammation) and Florian Billek (muscular injury) will miss the Ludwigshafen game. There are question marks over the appearances of Tumi Steinn Runarsson and Fabian Apfel, who tore a muscle against VfL Potsdam.
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In addition, one or the other player is struggling with health. Among them Arkadiusz Ossowski and Bartlomiej Bis, who played with the Polish national team in qualifying for the 2024 European Championships in Germany and lost twice to the now qualified French (28:38, 27:30).
The result of the tense personnel situation: “We recently had ten field players in training. That’s not ideal for these players in terms of repetition and intensity.”
Owls victorious in the new year
Nevertheless, the Vestestädter drive to Ludwigshafen to take countable items back to their homeland in Upper Franconia. Although the owls have only lost two games at home this season, the team of 32-year-old coach Michael Abt, who became German champion in 2017 with the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, is still looking for form in the new year. After six games, Ludwigshafen is still without a win, the Baden-Württembergers only scored in the two 34:34 draws against Potsdam and Bietigheim.
“Both teams are in a similar situation and are going through difficult phases,” HSC coach Ankersen sees parallels between his team and the Ludwigshafeners, who, like HSC, fall short of the demands and expectations. At least the Ankersen seven should now take a step forward. How is that supposed to work? “With a fight, passion and an aggressive defense,” says the Coburg coach and adds: “It’s only possible if we give one hundred percent. We want to get the two points.”
Dodge your own attack
And Ankersen has come up with a plan for that. The idea: Thanks to a stable defense, the HSC should be able to score goals via quick shots so that “we don’t necessarily have to attack position so often”. After all, the personnel options, especially in the backcourt, are limited. These problems could be solved with a forced pace game without wearing out the Ludwigshafen 6-0 defense.
In their own defense, Coburg should be prepared for the fact that the owls work with shifts in pace – and they should narrow the circles of playmaker Pascal Bührer. The home side’s top scorers are Jannek Klein (100 goals), right winger Alexander Falk (88) and left winger Lion Zacharias (82).
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With Julius Meyer-Siebert from Bayreuth, the owls have an Upper Franconian in their squad. Currently still equipped with a double play right for Ludwigshafen and Bundesliga club SC DHfK Leipzig, the 22-year-old will only play for the second division team in the coming season. Meyer-Siebert could then return to Leipzig in 2025.
The bids:
Owls Ludwigshafen: Asanin, Urbic – Salger, Eisel, Keskic, Meyer-Siebert, Haider, Gorpishin (?), Remmlinger, Falk, Durak, Bührer, Trost, Neuhaus, Manfeldt-Hansen, Klein
Trainer: Abt
HSC 2000 Coburg: Jochens, Martinsen, Apple (?) – Runarsson (?), M. Jaeger, Dettenthaler, Bis, Mund, Fuß, Siegler, Ossowski, Herzig, Krone, Knauer, Schäffer, Schröder
Trainer: The anchor
Referee: Reich / Brodbeck (both Metzingen)
