National handball player Juri Knorr is predicted to have a great career. After difficult months, things are looking up again for him. He is now taking on the role of the legendary world-class playmaker Andy Schmid at the Bundesliga club Rhein-Neckar Löwen.
Inheritance is not easy. Juri Knorr knows that. Accordingly, the national handball player approaches the challenge with a pleasant mixture of down-to-earthness, humility and optimism. “I have every opportunity,” says Knorr, who is to replace a man at the Rhein-Neckar Löwen who actually seems irreplaceable: Andy Schmid, the Swiss who has been voted the best Bundesliga player five timeswho led the club to every trophy in 12 years and is now continuing his career at home.
Knorr as Schmid’s successor
No question: Schmid is an icon with the lions. Knorr witnessed this himself. He played alongside the world-class middleman for a year, and the North German will have to fill this gap in the future. “I’m happy to be able to do my thing now,” says Knorr about the end of his role as crown prince behind King Schmid, to whom he is “extremely grateful”. The time with the veteran was a “mega-important experience”, says the 22-year-old, who was repeatedly compared to the prominent Swiss player last season.
At times it was “a burden”, Knorr honestly admits: “When we talk about Andy, we’re talking about the legend of the lions. How am I supposed to get there at my age?” A legitimate and rhetorical question. His new coach at the lions, Sebastian Hinze, is now trying to take the pressure off Knorr before the start of the league on Saturday (8:30 p.m.) against MT Melsungen. “Andy Schmid is unique. And that automatically means that no single player can replace him one-for-one. I’ve given up that thought,” says the coach.
Coach Hinze: Knorr admit mistakes
He is also planning to play with newcomer Olle Forsell Schefvert in the playmaker position and warns that Knorr, who has been hyped as a handball prodigy from an early age, should be treated with care: “You must never forget that he is only 22 years old. With him it is part of that he makes mistakes. And I hope that everyone will give him credit for those mistakes. I want to give him the space to be the player he can be.”
Quite a few believe that the native of Flensburg will really become a big one. For example, after Knorr’s debut in the national team in November 2020, national coach Alfred Gislason spoke of the “start of a very important career for Germany”. After that, however, there were a few setbacks. In the summer of 2021, the right-hander switched from GWD Minden to the Löwen, traveled directly from the Olympic Games to his new club without much preparation for the season and found his way there a team in which things didn’t go well from the start. Knorr was looking for his role and his form.
Difficult status with the national team
A little later followed the debate about his corona vaccination statushe was not allowed to compete in the European Championship and then initially had a difficult time with national coach Gislason. He was only nominated for the first international matches after the tournament.
But that’s in the past. After a stable second half of the season and good performances in the pre-season, Knorr is only looking ahead, wants to “take on more responsibility” with the Lions – and after all the ups and downs is certainly not facing a decisive season, but it is ahead of a trend-setting season.
