The men’s national team of Switzerland is finishing the first preparations in the 2020/21 season. The coach of the national team, Michael Suter, who received the award for the best coach in the last season as part of the Super Cup on Sunday, talks in an interview about anticipation, uncertainty and disappointment.
How did you feel before the first gathering?
We are very happy that we will finally be able to train again. I feel that there are a lot of people who can’t wait to see the national team play again. Participation in the European Championship in January gave new impetus to Swiss handball, and now it should continue. The team „felt the blood“ and saw what it means to play on the big stage. Next week, the training camp will take place without foreign professionals, but still with a strong team. It is about strengthening the foundations of our game and including the greatest talents from the domestic league.
It will be a sequel that unfortunately does not include participation in the World Cup. The playoffs in Europe were canceled due to a pandemic, and the IHF did not give Switzerland a wild card.
The fact that the EHF canceled the playoffs for the World Cup due to a pandemic and that is why we did not have a chance to qualify was one heavy blow that we had to accept. After the good EP we played, it is a big disappointment that we did not get a wild card in these circumstances. If 16 teams from Europe can go to the World Cup, it should be the top 16. To get there, we have invested a lot and continuously and successfully worked over the past twelve years. It is difficult for us to understand that there are two countries at the World Cup that we left behind at the European Championships, and some of them we even won directly in Gothenburg.
Either way, the focus now is on qualifying for the next EP
Yes, that goal is most important to us now. The team is „hot“, the players really want to participate in the EHF EURO again. Qualifications are not an easy thing of course, especially in this strong group with Denmark and Northern Macedonia. But we will do our best as usual and bravely start the qualifications.
In your opinion, how realistic is it in the current situation with a pandemic that everything will dress as planned?
We plan, of course, as if everything will go according to plan. We will be ready whenever and wherever we play. Realistically, the odds are about fifty to fifty. International matches mean big challenges in terms of travel and quarantine, and that is even more important for national teams. But we are ready for all possibilities.
How much “normality” is now in your daily routine?
In my daily work at the Academy in Schaffhausen there is actually a certain normalcy, so far we have managed to go through our program completely as we had hoped. At the moment, we can work well and professionally, of course in accordance with all regulations. It brought me back to reality when we had to put on masks at the Supercup on Sunday.
You received the Winterthur Award for Best Coach in the past year. How did you like what you saw on the field?
Above all, it was good to watch handball again. The great interest of the audience to finally attend the matches again was noticed. It was an intense Super Cup, with exciting matches. In general, I see a lot of movement in various clubs in the National League. There are many who have strong ambitions for the top 3. I really like these expectations and they promise us an exciting season.
