The ups and downs of the handball players at THW Kiel continue. The “Zebras” have already suffered five defeats in all competitions this season. After all: In the Bundesliga, things are not going well with the other top teams either.
Leader Füchse Berlin conceded his first defeat of the season at bottom Minden, RN Löwen lost at HSV Hamburg and champion Magdeburg already has a defeat to his credit. The first five teams are close together in the somewhat confusing table due to the different number of games: Berlin has three minus points, THW in fifth place only one more.
Fourth-placed SC Magdeburg has the fewest negative points (two, less in two games), while SG Flensburg-Handewitt has the most in third place (five).
Szilagyi: “Now we’re chasing again”
That may be a small consolation for the people from Kiel, who are used to success, but after the 23:33 home defeat against Lemgo, nobody beat around the bush at the record champions: “We played badly,” said captain Domagoj Duvnjak against Lemgo and lamented a lack of “energy and body language”.
“These are two points that you can never get back, that you must never lose with our goals in life. Now we are chasing again,” said managing director Viktor Szilagyi. Backcourt player Nikola Bilyk was at a loss: “But I don’t know if it’s uncertainty or if we’re just too dogged.”
It’s not just up to Sagosen and Pekeler
Although Lemgo Rune Dahmke celebrated his comeback after an injury break, the left winger was unable to solve THW’s core problems. On the one hand, the THW currently lacks a good goalkeeper performance too often. The two-time world handball player Niklas Landin and Tomas Mrkva show again and again what they are capable of on good days, but neither the Dane nor the Czech are currently delivering consistently and reliably.
“We won’t win any titles in the next few weeks, but we can lose some.”
— THW Managing Director Viktor Szilagyi
In addition, the absence of Hendrik Pekeler (torn Achilles tendon) and Sander Sagosen (ankle fracture) continues to weigh heavily. Pekeler is missed as an anchor in defense and as a reliable exploiter in the circle, as is Sagosen and his actions from the back. There is not yet a specific date when the former German international and the Norwegian superstar will return to the squad.
Jicha: “We have to face the situation as a team”
However, THW coach Filip Jicha does not want to pin the crisis on his team only on the absence of the two: “We have to face the situation now as a team. We have to do it as THW Kiel. No Sander Sagosen and no Hendrik Pekeler will help us , we have to do it without them both,” demanded the Czech.
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sports club | 06.11.2022 | 10:50 p.m
