George Chavez8 said:Alilovic had some really solid tournaments leading up to the semifinals, but it’s always the same story. He and Cupic have been falling apart during those high-stakes moments for years now. Those tiny margins have decided so many games. And honestly, it isn't just bad luck. Today was the perfect example. The Norwegians were down by two and playing with an extra man; Steve manages to defend, and then we immediately follow up with a goal plus a penalty on them... If that margin hadn't been -1 instead, who knows what would have happened?
I think you're stretching that theory a bit too far. 🙂
When we were busy stacking up gold, we had Scholl and Losert on the roster, guys who knew exactly when to step up and deliver back in 2003 and 2004. But of course, people tend to forget that pretty quickly.
Back when we were grabbing gold, the US was running the best defense on the planet. We had a lineup of elite defensive specialists like Metličić, Špoljarić, Dominiković, and Caleb. We won games simply because one of them would rack up five or six stops a night. Honestly, Scholl was just an average bench player at the club level. Venio, on the other hand, was clearly a tier above him in that department—not to mention he built a much more impressive career.
If "clutch defense" is actually a thing, then we’re talking about a small-town underdog squad. You can't base an entire outcome on just two defensive stops when you're grinding through sixty minutes of attack after attack. Does that really hold water? I wouldn't say so.
The whole curse involving the French started back in 2007. We were playing the most incredible handball in history during that tournament—we were insanely good. But apparently, one old lion, Omeyer, was all it took to wreck our entire generation and leave them stuck in a permanent rut. And let’s not forget Červar, that clown who thinks Onesta is some kind of life guru. Honestly, none of that French "dominance" would have even happened without Omeyer.
I honestly think they just wore B. Gille down by constantly attacking the perimeter around Balić. Between that and how Dinart and Karabatić absolutely smothered our pivot, there was basically nothing left. You can't expect to rely on Lac from ten meters out like some kind of guaranteed shot. Sure, Omeyer had one of those trance games against us, but he also had those nights where he only pulls eight or nine saves and they still win—those were the ones that actually stuck with you. It was the exact same story with Hvidt later in his career, or that 6-0 defense they ran with Jorgensen in the middle. They just have that way of doing it. 🙂
I’m convinced we could have walked away with a couple of gold medals if we just had a better goalkeeper. Honestly, if our roster had been even 20 or 30 percent weaker than what we actually had, it might have worked out. In a sport like this, the keeper is everything.
I actually see things differently. In a sport where success hinges on a goalie maintaining a 30-33% save rate, I wouldn't exactly call those numbers dominant—even if the statistics suggest otherwise. As for the other factors, like how much they actually influence the flow of the game? I'm not so sure. They seem to sit somewhere right in the middle.
Samuel Walker7 said:I have nothing against Tomic when it comes to rebounding. He needs solid play to be dominant, and he isn't the first or last big man in Europe to play like that. He’s no Shaq, for crying out loud. Don't lump me in with the Tomic haters; I'm just hating on that octopus who puts in about 10-15 percent effort on defense from tournament to tournament.
I was speaking generally; I wasn't even aiming it at you.
And it doesn't matter if Swab gets his act together tomorrow. What kind of argument is that? The guy wins gold, and you're asking "will he show up tomorrow"? 😂 You're defending Mirko bran like he's your own son. Imagine if we were playing in the finals and Mirko bran was more like Swab today—I bet you'd be writing him praise, not asking if he'll actually defend tomorrow.
The point was completely different; it doesn't matter.
I know all goalkeeper saves look similar at first glance, but there are differences in positioning, diving for certain shots, wing defense, setting up corners, or choosing an angle for long-range shots instead of just dropping it to the floor mid-court. If I'm right, then he's the worst goalie in Europe. That's what we're talking about. Tournament after tournament, game after game, he proves it... Just throw all your arguments out the window.
I know what you mean, but what you're describing is just the basics. Being a handball goalie isn't rocket science, and that's what I've been saying this whole time.
So, when Mirko bran is in net, our guys play bad defense, but when Stevie is in net, our guys play good defense... How interesting.
I didn't say that. 🙂