Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Going to take a look at the couch. Enough nonsense—just listen to someone who actually knows what they're talking about... me.
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Posts by rapidbison42
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Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Not saying anything against the refs!!
😂
😂
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Sean Gonzalez95 said:😂😂My bad for calling him an idiot back in the city. It’s not like Lovgren showed up late to the party or anything. I can't quite recall which specific game it was where they really needed to close out a play, but Lovgren stands up at the eleven-meter line and just blasts it wide. Why bother?😁.
Man, you actually watched that? One. That game where Lovgren missed that penalty, and you immediately decided Bengt had zero control over the squad? Really?
Have you actually sat through thirty or forty games involving Sweden between '88 and '04 to claim something as ridiculous as Bengt losing control of his team?
I’ve watched dozens of games, and if Bengt brought anything to the table, it was a crystal-clear system. He had a center back weighing barely 165 pounds leading the charge—the smallest star on the court—but the offense was perfectly synchronized, and they ran arguably the most lethal fast break in handball history.
Did I say Torgovanov was running the show? Sure, but Faca used to have these total lapses in judgment on offense that left Maksimov pulling his hair out—and he didn't have nearly as much of it back then.
Wait, what?
What nonsense. Sure, Torgovanov missed a few seven-meter shots here and there, but he was practically flawless from the six-meter line. I don't see why he was constantly riding Maksimov's back when he was easily the most reliable scorer whenever he played alongside Gopin in the wing.
Players like I. Lavrov or Kulešov really knew how to get under Maksimov's skin.
Don't try to lecture me on Sweden. I've been watching since the '86 World Cup in Switzerland—Bengt's first outing. Magnus Andersson was a phenomenal player; it's a shame those injuries cut him short before he could reach his full potential, but he was never quite on the level of Magnus or Staffan. It was Magnus, Staffan, and Ola Lindgren who anchored that legendary 6-0 defense that carried them to the semifinals sixteen years ago. Lovgren stepped in later, but he spent a solid six or seven years under Bengt's leadership.
So? What’s the lesson here? That Bengt Johansson had zero control over a squad doing whatever they felt like while he just stood there shouting, "Come on, squeeze it out!" Is that actually how you play the game? For the glory of the country?
Narcisse is going to take his shot the second he sees an opening. Just wait until tomorrow's game and you'll see. If the coach told him to go out there and lose his head, he’d still take the shot if the opportunity presented itself.
Look, my friend, Narcisse is going to take half as many shots as Karabatić, yet he'll end up seeing fewer passes than Girault or Abalo. You can tell me that things are exactly the same under Constantinija as they were with Ćervar, or that Onesta builds his entire game around either Karabatić or nothing at all—but honestly, you might as well just give up now.
| Sweden has always built its success on that 6-0 defense. Hmm, if I were being truly pedantic, I might argue that Lino’s 3-2-1 approach is just as valid, and we wouldn't be able to say a single word against it. |
Lino handles things better and gives the younger players a shot much sooner than Bengt did. There are too many similarities here—Lino is essentially fixing the mistakes Bengt made, which eventually led to Sweden's decline. He's doing it in real-time. Pretty impressive for a clown, if you ask me.
Look, my friend, Bengt's Sweden lasted 16 years. Lino's American squad has only been at it for five. Don't try to compare apples to oranges.
Lino owes everything he has to Balić. Before Balić came along, he was a nobody, coaching in some obscure minor league for pennies.
Bengt had a rigid, established system; Lino relies on a solid defense paired with individual improvisation on offense.
If you actually understood handball, you'd probably point out that our offensive game is practically non-existent. Why is that? Maybe Lino will provide an answer one of these days.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Alilović is a top-tier keeper.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Sean Gonzalez95 said:What a king.😂🤣Maybe do a little homework on Bengt, Maksimov, and Brandt first—see if they actually held the reins when it came to their superstars. Then you can come back with those expert analyses of yours. Every one of those heavy hitters, whether it was Magnus Wislander, Tuckin, Torgovanov, Dusebajev, Lovgren, Olsson, Narcisse, or Urdangarin, was a virtuoso. You can't exactly stifle a genius with restrictive offensive plays just because they have the green light to score. Balic wasn't an exception either; if he saw a gap, he took it. Of course, that just makes Lino a clown in the eyes of some, while Balic keeps leading the pack.🤣So, tell me, is Bengt really a clown? He’s sitting on three Olympic silvers, four European golds, and two World Championship titles, all while dealing with Lovgren driving him crazy with those questionable calls during clutch moments. Did he actually coach the national team? If he had been there in Tunisia or Sweden, maybe we’d be looking at another World Cup or European Championship trophy right now. And let's be honest, in Canada, he wouldn't have stood a chance against the officiating anyway. What an "expert."
Get serious for a second.
Back when Bengt first took over the national team and Lovgren was still playing hide-and-seek around the house—with Wislander playing backcourt instead of pivot—it felt like Andersson, Olsson, and Wislander were playing blindfolded. That was easily the most cohesive squad we've ever seen. And let’s be honest, the brains behind that operation wasn't Wislander or later Lovgren; it was Magnus Andersson.
I wasn't really following the game back then. Just let Magnus Andersson take the lead and run the show from the six-meter line. Half of Sweden's strategy relied on that aggressive 6-0 defense and letting Erik Hajas tear it up on the counterattack. For everything else, they just leaned on Andersson, Olsson, and Wislander.
Based on how you described Bengt clutching his head whenever Lovgren took a shot, it’s pretty obvious you weren't actually watching the Swedish team. Bengt started building that roster back in the late 80s, long before Lovgren was even in the picture.
By the way, it’s Urdangarin, not Undagarain. He was really just a role player for the Spanish national team, serving as Garraldi's backup on the right back. Or did you actually think he was ahead of Masip?
Regarding Maskimov and your theory that he calls the shots when the star player takes control—I can't help but laugh. Who exactly was running the show? You claim it was Torgovanov? Since when does a pivot build the offense and direct the play?
Maskimov chewed out Kuleshov for trying to run too much of the show himself, yet you’re bringing him up as an example of a coach who lets his players take the lead?
I don't know, man. I just don't think you can reach the top of handball by playing solo. Isn't the whole point of the game to move the ball fast and keep players moving to create an opening?
That’s exactly what our national team is missing. Luckily, we have one standout player who can create something out of nothing—something none of the guys you listed could ever pull off.
Some of those guys are just raw material—all jump shots and nothing else. And you actually called them virtuosos? Give me a break. Narcisse and Urdangarin, "virtuosos." Really?
Virtuosos of what, exactly?
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Let's hit +3 and call it a day.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
We can pull this off. If we just tighten up in those last five or six minutes, there's no way they're scoring.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
wearyeagle2 said:There he is!!! A legend finally arrives at the World Handball Championship!!! 🙏 🙏 🙏
🙏🙏🙏
Nothing works without DrŠ.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Arthur Martinez7 said:Look, I get that perspective... But you can't honestly tell me this national team hits these kinds of milestones on autopilot. You know enough about sports to know it doesn't work like that. And how much credit Lin actually deserves is debatable 🤷
Just remember what Lin inherited when he took over... Besides that, Balic is a legend, but he wouldn't have pulled off this run of success and medals without the rest of the squad.
Lin is basically just a calmer version of Ćiro—who is a total clown, sure—but hey, he won bronze at the World Handball Championship, so that counts for something. You don't have to like him 😁
In general, Americans are a nation that tends to worship clowns.
As for the "autopilot" theory.
Think about it: when Lin arrived, he took over a team that wasn't even good at the last EP, but they had players from Memphis and Chicago who were playing for some of the top 4 or 5 clubs in Europe at the time. He didn't walk into a group of nobodies; he walked into a roster of elite talent.
During that EP in Sweden, a few veterans stepped aside, and for Portugal, some younger guys joined the mix.
On top of that, Lin had two assistants in the form of Smajlagic and Basic.
He started from zero and reached the summit... but let me be clear: his role in all of this is far smaller than people think.
It’s obvious everything in this national team revolves around Balic. Now that the coaching staff has fallen apart, we don't have a cohesive system, whether Balic is there or not. It’s sad that these professional handball players can't manage three simple passes without the boss on the court. And when he *is* out there, he’s forced to play almost the entire second half of the attack one-on-six.
Who is responsible for a situation like that?
Presumably the person whose job it is to design the offense.
Back at the Olympics in Athens, we had great solutions for man-up advantages. Today, we don't even have a set play for a 6-on-4 situation.
Who's accountable for that?
Clearly, Lin wasn't the one building the team's tactical foundation. If he were, we wouldn't be stuck with such a sterile offense that relies entirely on improvisation.
I have no complaints about the defense. The grit is there. The offense, however, is 100% dependent on Balic.
Essentially, Lin isn't the clown people make him out to be. He knows his limits and knows how to lead: he boosts the defensive intensity and leaves the attacking plays to Balic's improvisation since he can't create organized plays during training. Luckily for him, it worked out again this time.
Still, let me say, things looked a lot more secure when Lin was shouting political slogans on the sidelines while Pipa talked to the players one-on-one on the bench.
Now, Lin is still yelling, but he has no one by his side to actually talk tactics and gameplay with the players.
I won't even get into the disastrous performance of the club he coaches. That's separate from this EP, but both the club and the national team suffer from the same sickness: the lack of a coherent offensive strategy based on anything other than "pass to Balic" or "pass to Lazarov."
In the final minute of today's game, we saw exactly how much weight Lin's words carry, especially when Balic scored just four seconds after the timeout.
It’s pretty obvious who really runs this team. In these conditions, he's the only one capable of leading. Balic.
Everything boils down to his improvisation in the attack; he dictates how and what gets played. Even a blind man could see that.
But hey, Lin was in the right place at the right time, and for good reason, he'll be remembered long after he's gone. There's no debate there. Who's going to care in thirty years if the guy was a clown? Nobody. His name will just be listed next to "World and Olympic Champion."
No... it’s just ridiculous. Purely ridiculous.
🤮
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
My bad, everyone... but honestly, any decent national team would walk away from that geriatric Norwegian squad with a five-point win. Any of them.
The real question is whether we still qualify as a serious contender.
The real question is whether we still qualify as a serious contender.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
bluehound32 said:http://cover.m2y.siemens.ch/cover/A1...75160H.320.jpg
for Roose 😬
http://www.myspace.com/djdesynmasiello
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
bluehound32 said:rapidbison42, is that the lead singer of Billy Talent on your avatar, or just someone who looks like him?🤷
That's DJ Desyn Masiello on the avatar.
Magic Johnson: The GOAT, the king, the legend...
in Other Sports ·
Nine today, and who knows if he'll carry us to the win again.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
One more thing.
Davor absolutely shredded their defense!!!
Davor absolutely shredded their defense!!!
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Solid performance. Kudos to Lin. The man clearly knows his stuff.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Anyway... just one thing ---- Ivano Balić
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
We should have won.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
Let's go +3 just to mess with them.
Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw
in Other Sports ·
If we actually make it to the semifinals again, it’ll still just be because of Ivan Balić.