Wrote, Dragan Djukic
Recently, the curtain has been lowered on one of the strangest championships since this wonderful game, called handball, hazena, torball, team handball, exists in various forms…
France handed over the crown to Norway, and Croatia wrote one of the most beautiful Christmas fairy tales of modern sports and saddened the organizer, Denmark, which has some other dreams left to be dreamed.
So let’s go then in that – „reverse“ order, because all New Year’s countdowns start exactly like that!
4. DENMARK
A deep bow to this country of handball (he will jealously tell you that it originated there, when Professor Holger Nielsen forbade his students to play football due to a large number of injuries, but allowed them to play by hand and prescribed the first rules), because let’s be honest , if it were not for the persistence and perseverance of the Danish Federation, this championship would not even exist! This championship will certainly be remembered in the world of sports as the first big competition (I would dare to wish it to be the last of its kind!) In the conditions of a „new reality“ – without an audience and in quarantine conditions for teams and officials.
If I were to draw one characteristic feature of the word for each of the selections in the final stage, then Denmark would best describe the term AMBITION! Historically, they were right about that. The only selection that managed to be an Olympic winner three times in a row (1996, 2000 and 2004), the first in women’s handball to unite the titles of Olympic, World and European champions, but also a country that has been waiting for its new medal at the European Championships since 2004. eau has „only“ one bronze medal from the WC in Belgrade in the last 16 years…
And everything was ready for her, except themselves! Self-confident and overbearing, they allowed themselves to think that everything was over, and with inappropriate (in my opinion, unsportsmanlike!) Statements motivated their opponents to give more than they could objectively. This is a lesson that will hurt Jensen and his team for a long time to come, especially considering that they will not be in Tokyo next summer. If they learn something from everything, they will have a chance to go very far next December in Spain at the first world championship with 32 teams in the women’s competition.
3. CROATIA
I can’t talk about them without being biased. Nenad Šoštarić is one of my especially dear colleagues and a sincere friend, behind whom are kilometers and decades of travels and roads, in which he has always followed the difficult paths of honesty, knowledge, giving and modesty. If anyone deserved a holiday with gifts then it was definitely him! And as in the best story, they came when he probably didn’t hope for them anymore. Regretted by all, with half of the already „modest“ composition, they went defiantly to show only what they know, and to fight for their face, to present their country and their people in a way that no one will be able to blame them. And while the whole world now admires them, and the planet knows their names, we all once again learn the lesson that nothing is over in sports until it’s over, or what Camila said into the microphone in her typical „half in reality half in joke“ style : „You can do anything, but you can’t get us before you’ve played with us.“
But in the comment of someone who comes from the profession, I can’t help but notice that Nenad’s „Masterpiece“ is actually an approach to a handball game, in which defense is „more than a game“ and in which a team that receives fewer goals wins medals. Croatia was able to play in this competition in such a way that the opponents do not score a goal: 13-15-17 minutes, not „some“ teams there, but quality teams from Denmark, Germany and Serbia. Successfully transitioning from deep (3-2-1) to shallow (6-0) formations, mixing their players in a way that preserves their freshness, and all the while keeping the ball in attack „as if it were the last“ team followed every moment of the coach and he was there for them calm, patient and strong when the girls needed his support. Unlike many teams from our area, defeats in matches with Norway and France did not derail them, they knew well what they wanted, they knew well when they „could“ and they always went unrealistically to the end of their realities. And that’s why the hat is down to the girl, and the hat is down to Šoštarić!
2. FRANCE
Marseilles from 15,000 heads in Bercy, was replaced by silver empty 15,000 empty chairs in Herning. What remained the same after both matches was the smile on their faces! Oliver Krumbolc himself announced the final last night with the words: „we may not get them tomorrow, but we will get them in Tokyo“! For those who have not understood that so far, French handball is a project behind the studio work of not only handball structures. If it were not so, they would not be successful in everything they touch, regardless of whether they are men, girls or younger categories. And for those who still think that this is just a coincidence, or mainly thanks to the physical potential of the selections, I warmly recommend that they visit the page of their „house of handball“ (Maison du handball) at least through Google and maybe then some things will become clearer.
From a selector with a vision, (in that position since 1998 (!) With a „short“ break between 2013-2016) to a selection that is a great mix of experience and youth and that seems to be the only one able to match the dominance of Norwegians (especially with its fantastic 5- 1 defense), France has definitely grown into a world power in women’s handball, not only in the naked eye visible element of strength but also in statistical indicators as a team that is, as expected, the best in the jump but also ran the most in the championship! And let’s not forget something that seems very important to me because it remains for history and sports annals – the choice of the best seven, which for years has turned into a joke like „something for everyone“, so this time it happened that this time an otherwise great player like Estelle Ze Minko adorned herself with feathers that do not suit her, since she was declared (before the finals!) The MVP of the championship. That things are somewhat different in reality was confirmed by the outcome of the match itself and the direct duel with the really best, and maybe that was one of the reasons for her somewhat weaker game. And just to add, it was once again confirmed how important it is – the often underestimated role of pivotman in our area, so 19-year-old Fopa was certainly a revelation of the finals, as Ježić and Debelić (9 in total) decided in the bronze medal match. / 10 from the 6m line.)
1. NORWAY
There is one interesting detail – „behind the scenes“, which I want to share with you. The concept of the Norwegian national team would (simplified) look like this: Plan „A“: Don’t improvise. Do the basics and try to do it the best you can. Believe in the concept … When plan „A“ does not work, plan „B“ is to work better on plan „A“ J It would be said that the game of the Norwegian national team was „read“ a long time ago! The sparrows also know what and how they play, but there is no way to find a solution how to oppose them! But even when the system did not work, as happened when France completely neutralized Oftendal and her ideas in the second half with its great defense, the answer was to return to its own great defense and goalkeeper (this time in the character of Solberg). Simply? So that’s always the way it is, the most perfect things seem the simplest. In order to show you, at least for a moment, what this is about, and how „that“ Norway actually plays, I will use a part of the official statistics from this championship:
– they are the team with the fewest passes in the game (!), so for example in 8 games they made a total of passes as the teams of the Czech Republic or Slovenia for 3 J, of course Croatia made the most passes, because how could poor Sostaric be able to wrestling with others…
– they are the team with the most assists (who mentioned the ego?) but also with the least technical errors!
– They are the team with the most blocked shots, but also with the most goalkeeping defenses.
And let’s add to all this the statement of Torir Heirgeirson (and in these twenty years in which he probably knows best what it is with them!), That the most important for this success was the HUNGER of his players and their desire (carefully read the previous column and announcement of the semifinals!) , and now that we can summarize everything we saw at this championship, do we still have some „good“ justification why we don’t do it all ourselves in the environments where we work, and have we finally understood what „it“ separates success from that another, unspoken…
So much from me for this trip! And until the next reading, let’s all think a little about the „blows“ and „old men“ – the medals were won by the selections led by coaches aged 56, 62 and 61 – in that order! Until those next, January handball events, happy Christmas and New Year holidays, in whatever order we celebrate them, with wishes that 2021 will be better, different and healthier for all of us!
(Text downloaded from www.g-sport.mk where you can find the previous three parts of the analysis from Dragan Đukić’s EP)
