Hey, let me ask you something... do you actually believe someone who doesn't know the first thing about NBA strategy or actual playbooks could just coast this far solely because they have talented players on the roster?😕..it’s honestly mind-blowing that people actually think this way... that we aren't totally unprepared for matchups against teams like Poland, Canada, or Norway... if we end up facing a powerhouse like the US national team, is everyone just gonna rely on some "phenomenal" imaginary coaching magic?😂..I mean, you know how ridiculous that sounds... sure, the offense has potential, but Lac and Pero are playing like absolute garbage right now. We don't even have a world-class right wing... man, you gotta feel the rhythm of the game, you know? But look, if we run into the US and get absolutely demolished, then it'll be crystal clear to everyone that we can't hang with the big dogs without actual tactics and set plays. If they just run all over us, I'm done... I'm officially checking out of these discussions forever.
nah, that’s just not true... I read somewhere that Kulesov and Torgovanov turned down the national team for this championship for their own reasons... people are whispering about some massive fallout with the coach... if I can find the link I'll send it over, but honestly, I can't be bothered to hunt for it right now... just Google it, you'll find it eventually... of course he kept him around because he was absolutely indispensable... man, this is freaking hilarious... like that thing where he'd turn his back to the goal because his back was killing him... you definitely remember stuff like that happening... wasn't there some crazy world stage stuff back in 2002 in Portugal, or was it 2003?😕... regardless, he's been successfully cruising along for six years now... hehe, "it's a robbery," yeah right... I followed the games and I was one of the few actually showing up to the championships just to watch them get boxed out when they got kicked off the field because everyone was cheating them🙄... typical trash talk rhetoric right there... send me a link if Balic was really the best player in the Champions League before 2003... I'm not even trying to be provocative here, I genuinely want to know because I can't believe I missed that... I had no idea
Adam Collins4 said:No, we gotta run a defense that actually stops those Frenchmen... even if it means constantly switching up our looks on the fly...
I’d be all for that 3-2-1 setup, but only if they actually play it right... you know, like how they used to back in the day... because let's face it, our version of the 3-2-1 is way too predictable now...
hm, you can "never" really read a defense... I mean, look at that Swedish 6-0 style, it's still one of the best out there, and during their glory days, it was practically perfect...
If we actually had a clue what we needed to pull off against the Frenchmen... maybe then we'd have a shot. Honestly, I’m just picturing Lino drowning his sorrows in some dive bar, totally wasted, sleeping it off while nobody can even find him... if he does that, we might actually win for once without having some clown running the bench...☕
Look, I’ve watched more than 40 games involving Sweden, but honestly, that doesn't even matter... I don't get why you're coming at me with this rhetoric in your replies, using those examples... You're acting like there's total chaos in the American squad and like the coach has zero control over anyone, all because of that one thing Balić did yesterday. I was just pointing out that even Lovgren had a moment like that, so what's your point? It doesn't mean Lovgren or Ivano don't respect Bengt or Lin, and it definitely doesn't mean coaches like them can fully micromanage players like that. This is Lin's seventh semifinal, right? (I think...) and can he really keep a grip on this national team for that long? As for the "chaos" in the locker room... man, I don't know who else might be acting out. Just look at Brazil at the World Cup in Germany... now I'm sitting here thinking about Torgovanov's wild shots. He was one of the greatest scorers ever, but he had his own moments of madness. Did he mess up Maksimov's rhythm by fifty percent? Absolutely not, but he genuinely thought he was doing what was best for the team and that the ball would go in. By the way, neither Oleg Kulesov nor Torgovanov even traveled to this tournament... hm, for "personal reasons"... yeah, right, I'd love to know why. Lin's era in American handball has lasted seven years now, and maybe it can only last that long. Let's frame it this way: what was Balić like before Ćervar took over as coach? He never played anything close to that level for his club compared to how he played for the national team. And why? As for Narcisse, people are saying he'll see fewer balls from both Girault and Abalo... but if we play solid defense, even with a 3-2-1, that Abalo guy is an under4
😂😂..ugh, my bad for calling that guy an idiot back in the chat... and look, Lovgren didn't just show up out of nowhere, right? I can't even remember which specific game it was where they should've finished the play, but Lovgren's face just lights up at the 7-meter line and he blasts it wide of the net😁.. yeah, okay, maybe I said Torgovanov ran the show, but the guy used to have these total brain farts in the attack that had Maksimov pulling his hair out... seriously, don't try to lecture me on Swedish handball, please... man... I've been watching since the '86 era and that Soviet squad in Switzerland during Bengt's first run... Magnus Andersson was such a beast, honestly a tragedy how injuries cut him short because he could've been legendary, but nobody ever topped Magnus or Staffan. Magnus, Staffan, and Ola Lindgren were the absolute backbone of that insane 6-0 defense that carried them all the way to the semifinals back in '96... Lovgren came in later, sure, but Bengt coached him for a solid 6 or 7 years. And Narcisse? That guy will take any shot he sees if there's an opening. Just wait for tomorrow's game and you'll see... even if the coach tells him he'll lose his head, he’s gonna fire away the second he sees a gap. It's just how Ivano is, and plenty of other players too. During those years, the US—well, the whole system—always built success on that 6-0 defense... hmm, if I wanted to be this stubborn, I might as well just say I'm like Lino running a 3-2-1 and claim we can't say anything against it... besides, with Bengt, it wasn't like he was reinventing the wheel. The core stayed the same, with others just stepping in to help... just like with Lino. Five guys stayed in that rotation for 13 years!!! Andersson stepping in for Jilsson, Svenson for Olsson... then later Lovgren, Vranjes, and Petterson filling the gaps and becoming heavy hitters... but they stayed in the mix a little too long... and the roster refreshes happened way too late. Lino handles it better; he gives the young kids a shot much earlier than Bengt ever did. There are way too many similarities in how they fix the mistakes Bengt made—mistakes that caused the US to crash and burn—but Lino actually fixes them in real-time. Pretty impressive for a clown, if you ask me
Dušebajev is way too small-time for a legend like Magnus... he’s just not on that level. You gotta actually look at what Magnus did, his whole career, everything he pulled off... how long he stayed at the top. And let's be real, Ivano Balić was always kind of a liability on defense against the absolute world-class guys... but Magnus? Magnus was a god. I mean, compared to guys like Johnny Jensen, Dinart, or Melcic... Magnus would single-handedly carry the offense even though he was playing pivot. Even if the US national team never really had those elite shooters... man, how many times did Ivano Balić just feed Vorij or Sulic a perfect chance on a silver platter? Magnus didn't have that. He was impossible to mark up close... absolutely phenomenal on defense too. Even without the ball, he’d fight tooth and nail for positioning while everyone was staring at him and Olson, and he’d still end up isolated... tell me, isn't it a nightmare playing backcourt when the defense is glued to you or the pivot...
hehe you didn't get it... he's good, like really solid at the World Cup... but he still needs more time to become a total legend like the guys playing today or even break into that top tier elite group... I mean, the potential is definitely there... he just seriously needs to fix his defense against those wing players... it kills me when some guy comes flying in from the wing and he just gets caught completely off guard 😠..
brighthawk20 said:Ivano Balić is hands down the greatest player in the history of handball, no contest. .
😂🤣😂😁..look, I mean, the guy is a total genius... right now? Yeah, definitely the best out there... but say "in history"?? man... I'm just gonna go with Magnus Wislander for me...🙏
What would I change? Man... if God grants me the health, I’d call him up just to see if Cupic can step up as a true superstar—which, honestly, I don't doubt for a second. And hey, let's get a third entity established while we're at it... you should swing by my place down south, we'll grab a beer and toast to that... But come on, telling people he's gonna be better than the greatest right wing in the world? Better than a virtuoso genius like Dzomba?! Nobody's happier than me, really, but let's be real... neither him nor anyone else is ever gonna hit those heights again. Guys like Pipe and Dzomba? They're once-in-a-generation types. We were lucky enough to have that kind of talent after Irfan. As for little Manuel, I'm with you, but how many more years of mediocrity have to pass before he actually hits that elite world-class winger status? Right now, he's just a kid with potential, nothing more... You probably follow other sports too, so you know how often our talents just fall through the cracks here. Nothing is guaranteed. And Alilovic? He's still miles away from being a Fritz, a Svenson, or a Lavrov... he's just not in that global top tier of goalkeepers yet. It's gonna take a lot more time before he even gets close, if he ever does
Man, if it’s actually true, it’s such a massive headache trying to track which guys from last season played in Portugal, Tunisia, Canada, AND at the last Handball World Championship while playing for a club like the Lakers... honestly, this whole story is just a joke, I don't even know what to say... if he actually stepped up as the head coach, he’d probably crush it... names like Johansson, Maksimov, Brandt, and all those other guys? Total nothing compared to him... the whole system is full of holes and it stinks big time...
frozentiger6 said:And Cervar finally officially registeredyyyyyy (in my best sports announcer voice) 😁
Welcome aboard, Lisa Miller7, our resident motivator... 😁
Man, why don't you go jump into political threads? You're clearly some kind of legend over there with those posts (not even being sarcastic, I mean it... 😉)... this is my turf 😁 ... seriously, trying to come at Linin with these mindless takes is just unreal... I'll give you credit for the Kelentrica stuff, we can agree there... but he’s hardly better than those bottom-feeders... maybe call up Marakovica to show us how it's actually done when nobody's playing ball 🤣... and then you had the nerve to say Cupic would be better than Dzomba... yeah, right... Smajlagica is practically on his way too... for now, he's basically hovering around Christiansen's level 🤣... and god knows what else I'm gonna have to read... At the end of the day, where did Linin even mess up with the roster?!?... We only missed out on medals once... despite all your whining about player selection, the guy still dragged us to the semifinals... clearly he needs Vukic and Kaleb more than he needs prep... when you're the coach, feel free to call the latter.
Terry Fisher2 said:Player rotation might be the whole game here. They’re rotating 9 guys across 7 positions, while we’re out here cycling through 14...
Honestly, I couldn't care less about any of that, but I am seriously annoyed with the coach... I mean, rotating that many players during a tournament?? Just makes no sense...🤷
Look, we gotta lock down that defense first... can't let Narcisse and Fernandez just run wild out there... Karabatic is gonna hit his numbers anyway... need way fewer mistakes on offense too... stop handing them easy balls and shut down those fast breaks... wouldn't want Abalo running up the score on us... honestly, it'd be killer if Dinart picked up two quick suspensions early on... Gille's just your standard pivot, nothing special, nothing crazy, just does his job... I don't even recognize this left winger😕... if Omeyer gets going, we might be looking at a nightmare situation with the goalie, kind of like what happened against the Danes... otherwise, when Bruno goes nuts, he's unstoppable... but man, when Dan isn't feeling it, everything just falls apart
rapidbison42 said:Honestly, Americans are just a nation that worships total jokers.
As for this whole "autopilot" thing... Look... when Lin took over, he didn't inherit a dumpster fire. He got a national team that was basically bottom-tier at the last EP, but back then, they had guys from Memphis and Chicago who were playing for some of the top 4 or 5 clubs in all of Europe. He wasn't handed a bunch of idiots; he got a squad of absolute killers. During that EP in Sweden, a few veterans stepped up, and by the time we hit Portugal, some younger blood joined the mix. Plus, Lin actually had two solid assistants helping him out, Smajlagić and Bašić. He started from nothing and climbed to the top... but let me tell you, his role in all of this is way smaller than people think. Like, way smaller...
It’s blindingly obvious that everything revolves around Balić. Once the coaching staff fell apart, we lost our identity. We can play with him, and we can play without him, but we don't have a *system*. It’s pathetic that these pro athletes can’t even string three passes together if the boss isn't out there on the floor. And when he *is* out there? He’s forced to play 1-on-6 on offense for half the game! Who’s responsible for that mess? Probably the guy whose actual job is to build an offensive scheme. Back at the UN in Athens, we had brilliant plays for man-up situations. Now? We don't even have a basic, practiced set play for 6-on-4 scenarios. So, who’s to blame for that? Clearly, Lin wasn't the one actually coaching the flow. If he were truly running the show, we wouldn't be stuck with this sterile, improvised offense that looks like a bunch of guys just winging it. I won't say a word about the defense—they're working hard, the grit is there. But the offense? It’s completely, 100% dependent on Balić. At the end of the day, Lin isn't quite the clown everyone makes him out to be. He knows his limits. He knows how to lead: push the intensity on defense and just leave the scoring to Balić’s improvisation since he clearly can't manufacture plays during practice. Luckily for him, he pulled it off again this time. But seriously, it felt so much more stable when Lin was screaming those patriotic slogans from the sidelines while Pipa was talking to the players one-on-one on the bench. Now, Lin is still yelling, but he’s got nobody standing next to him to actually talk strategy and gameflow with the players. Don't even get me started on the disaster of the club he coaches. That's separate from the EP, but the club and the national team suffer from the exact same sickness—zero meaningful offensive structure. It all boils down to: "Pass it to Balić" or "Pass it to Lazar." That's it.
In the final minute of today's game, you saw exactly how much weight Lin's words carry—right before Balić went rogue just four seconds after the timeout. I guess it’s pretty clear who’s really running this team. In these conditions, there's only one person who can lead. Balić. Everything comes down to his individual improvisation. He decides how we play and what we play. Even a blind man could see that.
But hey, Lin was in the right place at the right time, and he’ll be remembered long after he’s gone. No doubt about it. Who’s going to care in thirty years if the guy was a bit of a joke? Nobody. His name will just be listed next to "World and Olympic Champion."
Still... if he's a joker, he's a world-class one.
🤮
What a legend...😂..man, go do some actual research on Bengt Johansson, Valeri Maksimov, or Brandt. Did they have total control over their superstars? Go ahead, try coming at me with your "expert analysis" after that... every single one of those legends—Magnus Wislander, Tuckin, Torgovanov, Dusebajev, Lovgren, Olsson, Narcisse, Undagarin, and the rest of the greats—were virtuosos. You can't always stifle a genius with "structured offense" if he thinks he can score. Balić isn't an exception... if he thinks he can score, he's gonna shoot. And of course, because of that, Lin is immediately labeled a clown, while Balić is the one actually running the team.🤣🤣..just tell me, is Bengt some kind of joke? I mean, the guy’s got three Olympic silvers, four European golds, two World Championship golds, plus all those silvers and bronzes... and then you have Lovgren driving him absolutely insane with those questionable calls during the clutch moments.. was he even really leading the team?? come on man, if you had actually been there for Tunisia and Sweden, we'd probably be looking at another World and European gold right now.. and in Canada, he wouldn't have stood a chance because of the refs hahaha.. what a "genius" he is..
Gary Kelly7 said:And what's the talk even about? Like, are Argentinian hooligans supposed to be better—or worse—than Americans and Mexicans or something?
😂 😂 😂 🤣 ..and how the hell do you even measure "toughness"... by the fact that those wannabe tough guys with their fake bravado and little guns have never actually gone toe-to-toe with an Englishman? I don't give a damn about them or their pistols and all that crap... they don't have the balls to step up and fight, so they hide behind a gun... and what can you even say about Dr. Dre when his descendants are just more of those Italian rats from Genoa😁 ..how do you think those Argentines would fare in a scrap against us???..and imagine if they start acting smart and try to pull a trigger... did you seriously forget this place is a powder keg? They'd end up in a much worse spot than they did with the British during the Falklands😁 ☕
hehe you know what... there's only one thing I can really vent about here... this great American land has been ours for ages... my heart belongs to the Heartland😎