Germany against France at the European Handball Championship: looking forward to a big game

AWhen Nikola Karabatic won the Champions League with Montpellier on May 4, 2003, Justus Fischer was three months old. It is of course somewhat unfair to make comparisons between the French handball hero and the 20-year-old German international from TSV Hannover-Burgdorf.

But you can ask Fischer himself how he feels about facing Karabatic and his French in the Group A final on Tuesday (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Handball Championship, on ARD and on Dyn)? “I can ignore it quite well. “They don’t pay much attention to the name in the game,” he said on Monday morning with the broad Fischer grin.

An answer that – despite all expressions of respect – was similar to others from the German team. What was striking was that the young people in particular were not at all in awe of the record-breaking world champion: “They don't even have us newcomers on their radar,” said Fischer's teammate in Hanover, Renars Uscins, perhaps unintentionally implying something that France likes to show up at the beginning of big tournaments: their habit of success can lead to arrogance, a little less concentration and the belief that their individual class will take care of things.

This mixture led to an early exit in the preliminary round four years ago in Trondheim, Norway. And this time too there is a tendency to be careless; The start against North Macedonia on Wednesday in Düsseldorf was initially bumpy. The French continuation on Sunday evening in the Berlin Arena at Ostbahnhof was so flawed that it was only enough for a happy 26:26 against Switzerland in the end.

A warning to heighten the senses?

But the other part of the truth is that, on the one hand, coach Guillaume Gilles' team can usually make considerable improvements over the course of the competition and, on the other hand, they really enjoy playing against Germany: the last defeat against the DHB team at a major tournament was eleven years ago.

This is the part that interests Alfred Gislason. At least his public statements are full of praise: “The French have a very strong team across the board. They are the favorites for the title alongside the Danes. So they are favorites against us too. We have opportunities, but then we have to show our best game in recent years.”

Now it is the case that Gislason had also warned about the “strong North Macedonians”; German opponent in the second preliminary round game on Sunday evening in Berlin. Despite some weaknesses, it was a relaxed 34:25 victory, in which Juri Knorr stood out with his ten goals and the young goalkeeper David Späth with a few saves. And North Macedonia robbed itself of any chance with 15 ball losses.

If this calculated warning about the Southeast Europeans only sharpens the senses of his players, the humility in front of France is appropriate because the last painful encounter was only a year ago. Gislason's group played convincingly through the World Cup in Poland and Sweden before France gave the signal to stop in the quarter-finals in Gdansk. To this day, this game represents what the Germans can do – and showed until the score was 20:18 in the 36th minute. And for what they can't do: eight minutes later France led 23:20.

The Germans, especially Knorr, first warmed up goalkeeper Remi Desbonnet and then let them become the main actor of the evening. He saved almost 50 percent of the throws. Until then, Desbonnet had primarily attracted attention as a keeper in beach handball. Fun fact: He still plays in the sand today.

The hall makes little difference to France

No game is better suited to prove the much-vaunted development of the German team than this one against France. Juri Knorr will have to direct more cleverly than he did on January 25, 2023. Julian Köster will have to cover more carefully. Andreas Wolff should win the goalkeeping duel. And the entire German team will have to “watch the ball” better, as captain Johannes Golla demanded. Knorr in particular has a huge task ahead of him, namely maintaining the balance between goal danger and ball distribution.

Gislason didn't want to leave it alone that the home advantage and the power of the 13,500 fans behind them would solve anything: “A full hall against them makes little difference to France. They know all this from their games with the clubs in the Champions League.” Gislason specifically provides such information. When his colleague Gille changes things up with Elohim Prandi after a bad start against North Macedonia (8:10), it's a player from Paris St. Germain. How almost everyone earns their money at clubs that play in the top European leagues week after week. Gislason's freshness in the squad has a different origin: Burgdorf. Göppingen. Gain.

When Gislason belittled his followers, it was in contrast to the demeanor of those at the beginning of their careers. Unburdened by previous low blows against the French, Fischer, Uscins and Nils Lichtlein painted a brighter picture of Germany's chances. They didn't even imagine a possible failure combined with a serious mortgage for the main round. There was just anticipation for Tuesday combined with the advice not to think too much now, it was just a game.