In the first year after returning to the Handball Bundesliga, HSV Hamburg held its ground very well. Now the former German champion wants to confirm that. A Dutch international should help. The team check.
Rank 14 is for HSV Hamburg for the 2021/2022 season in the annals of the Handball Bundesliga. The placement sounds like a long fight to stay up – but this was never seriously threatened for the promoted team due to a solid start. Goalkeeper Johannes Bitter, Torsten Jansen and Blazenko Lackovic on the coaching bench as well as Vice-President Martin Schwalb bring back memories of the best Hamburg handball chapter about a decade ago.
What is possible in the 2022/2023 season, which begins for HSVH on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. against SG Flensburg-Handewitt? The north duel is one of a total of nine home games to be played in the arena in the Volkspark. The second home venue, the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, is currently closed due to renovation work.
Dutchman Baijens on the playmaker position
The HSVH officials reported eight departures, but only left-hander Jan Forstbauer, playmaker Philipp Bauer and veteran Manuel Späth played a major role. “We have some newcomers who still have to be integrated and have never played in the Bundesliga,” Jansen points out. Only Dani Baijens is familiar with German excellence, from his time at TBV Lemgo. The Dutch playmaker’s star rose at the European Championships in January.
The Danish left-hander Jacob Lassen is said to be an unpleasant shooter for the opposing goalkeepers with his repertoire of shots, while his compatriot Andreas Magaard should take on important tasks in the circle and in the center of defense. Croatian goalkeeper Ivan Budalic is initially planned as number two behind first-choice keeper Bitter, as Jens Vortmann will be out for a long time with a torn Achilles tendon. The junior players Alexander Pinksi and Max Niemann complete the squad.
Coach Jansen dampens expectations
Despite the good first year after the Bundesliga return, Jansen urges modesty: “I can’t imagine that we will make a big leap up. We will no longer take our opponents lightly, as we did last season maybe that was the case,” said the 2007 world champion. The goal is once again: to stay in the league.
With the modified throwing rule – the throwing may take place from the new center circle (four meters in diameter) while moving – the Hanseatic League will certainly push the pace even more with some lightning-fast players in the squad. “The tactics and the basic framework are in place,” assures Jansen.
Prognosis: Hamburg moves in the secure midfield
It will certainly be interesting to follow HSV Hamburg this season. A backfield of opposites with two rather small, but all the faster playmakers – Leif Tissier and Baijens – as well as the towering Russian Azat Valiullin on the half-left position promises many tactical possibilities. The surprise effect of the climber is gone, but the squad has the potential for new unexpected moves.
As the test phase showed, the defense still needs to be fine-tuned. Greater consistency after the fluctuating results of the past season should also be on the agenda. The HSVH certainly doesn’t have to look all the way down, but on the other hand a placement in the single-digit range is also hard to imagine.
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NDR 2 Sports | 01.09.2022 | 11:03 p.m
