Handball, 3. Liga D
With Krefeld back to the old place of work: Maik Pallach (center).
© Thomas Machatzke
The SGSH Dragons expect the leader HSG Krefeld as second in the table. A top game with different prerequisites: while the guest is doubly well occupied in all positions, a lot of personnel at the SGSH is still sewn to the edge.
Halver – When the front runner in the 3rd league D, HSG Krefeld, hands in his business card on Saturday at 7.30 p.m. in the sports hall on Halveraner Mühlenstrasse, then it is a return to an old place of work for Maik Pallach. The HSG trainer was SGSH’s circle runner until summer 2008, in May 2008 he got out of the regional league with SGSH in the relegation thriller against Gladbeck in this hall and then left the club in the direction of TuS Ferndorf.
It was a long, long time ago: Pallach then played for Ferndorf and Leichlingen, led Leichlingen as a player-coach, then enriched the junior academies in Gummersbach and Großwallstadt with his specialist knowledge, and was the sporting director at Mainfranken. It was a bit late in function where handball was once big.
And now he has a new mission: This year, the graduate sports scientist is to lead the HSG Krefeld back to the 2nd Bundesliga for the second time. The team from Niederrhein, it is the top favorite of the season D and since the win against Opladen at the weekend and the parallel SGSH defeat in Longerich also front runner in this group.
Summit meeting SGSH against Krefeld: Here the bottlenecks, there the abundance
SGSH versus Krefeld: In the 18/19 season it was the duel that electrified the fans of both camps for a long time and in which the question of the title was ultimately decided. Krefeld kept the upper hand after a long tight run, became champions and was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga, only to be relegated again in the 19/20 season. After that, the western rivals met again and again for friendly matches. In summer 2019, summer 2020, most recently in spring 2021 and also in summer 2021 when the HSG won 30:27.
The HSG also tried it in the promotion round to the 2nd Bundesliga in spring 2021. Maik Pallach had just been introduced as the successor to Felix Linden as trainer. But Eintracht Hagen and Empor Rostock were stronger, at least these two, probably others as well. Krefeld remained third class. And now attacks again.
Mark Schmetz calls the SGSH’s Saturday guest “the really big favorite”. “Almost all positions are occupied by players with experience in the second division, Merten Krings even played in the first division, Sven Bartmann in goal held the top match against Opladen and was the match winner,” says Schmetz Dutch people an opportunity to rave about.
The alpha and omega is the discipline in the attack. We have to play patiently and force Krefeld into the attack that has built up.
In fact, Maik Pallach found opportunities on the Lower Rhine that other coaches in the third division do not have. Bartmann, who was originally from Uerdingen, came back from Dormagen in the summer, and when he’s not having a good day, Lasse Hasenforther, who was part of the extended Bundesliga squad in Gummersbach, sits behind him. The game is directed by the ex-hammer and ex-Emsdettener Merten Krings. In the right back area Maik Schneider and Kevin-Christopher Brüren guarantee quality, on the right wing Steffen Hahn and Mike Schulz. Some second division teams do not have four left-handers of this quality.
Three potential shooters in the left back space of the HSG
On the left side of the attack, the ex-Dormagener Pascal Noll whirls on the outside lane, in the left back area the ex-Mindener Jonas Molz and the Balkan Shoother Matija Mircic and Andrej Obradovic romp around for shares, in the district Lars Jagieniak and Antonio Juric. “Doubly well-filled in all positions”, analyzes Mark Schmetz – and that brings you to the biggest difference to the SGSH. Wherever the burden can be distributed over several shoulders in Krefeld, one actor at the SGSH has to bear the great responsibility more or less alone.
Whether David Bleckmann and Florian Diehl will return to the squad is still very questionable before the top game. Diehl did not train, Bleckmann not completely. In general, Schmetz only had seven field players in training on Monday, and only six on Tuesday. Also because Arvid Dragunski suffered a knee injury from the Longerich game and will be out on Saturday.
After all: Ante Vukas from Croatia is expected back on Thursday – after the death of his father and the funeral service. Does the groin of vukas still cause problems? Will his head be free again after this stroke of fate? Schmetz doesn’t know yet. At least that with the bar will probably show up on Friday evening.
It depends on top performers: Christopher Klasmann turned 31 this week. The veteran wants to give full throttle on Saturday against Krefeld.
© Thomas Machatzke
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But even if Vukas should be fit again: Where the HSG can switch at will, the SGSH will again have to rely on the top performers to bite through. In Longerich, this approach has reached its not necessarily surprising limits. “It was a good game for us for 40 minutes,” says Schmetz, “but in the end we had to let it slip. But I can live with that, we lost to a better opponent that day. “
For the hosts it is an “easy game”
On Saturday evening, Schmetz would of course not only be able to generate good minutes for his team, but also generate income. The Dutchman is convinced that this is not impossible even against top favorites. “We have to implement our match plan, then we will also get our chances,” says Schmetz, “A and O is the discipline in the attack. We have to play patiently, if Krefeld cannot allow a second wave, we have to force them into the attack that has been built up. “
The plan is there, now it’s about implementation. Schmetz is full of anticipation whether the special game against a special opponent. “For us,” he says, “it’s an easy game. We play against the high favorite. And I’m sure we’ll have a good game. ”What does that mean for the result? Saturday will tell.
SGSH: Vukas, Döscher, Gorlas, Hablowetz – Schetters, Klasmann, Michel, König, Hecker, Gipperich, Frenzel, Dommermuth, Perey, Börner, Bleckmann, Diehl
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