Handball EP - Norway 2008

The qualifiers for the European Championship are officially wrapped up, and we finally know which teams made the cut! It's going to be four groups of four.

Here is how the national teams are split into pots:

Pot 1:

France
Spain
Denmark
USA

Pot 2:

Germany
Russia
Iceland
Canada

Pot 3

Poland
Norway 2008
Slovakia
Canadian

Pot 4

Belarus
Sweden
Mexico
Czech

Man, if we end up drawing Germany, Sweden, and Norway... that would be such a nightmare! 😲 On the bright side, we could pull Slovakia, Canada, and either Belarus or Mexico, which would mean winning all three games with the second lineup. The group draw is happening this Friday in Oslo at 8 PM.

Everything from the second group works for me, except for Iceland.

The third spot should probably go to the Canadians.

As for the fourth, I'd say the Czechs.

Honestly, I think it's way more important to look at which teams we're actually clashing with. It feels like they're sticking to the old system for the EP, where the top two from each group move straight to the semifinals.

YES group:
us
Canada
Slovakia
Belarus

NO group:
us
Germans
Norway 2008
Sweden

I’m seriously counting down the days until 👋

Looking at the second pot, we've got Germany and Russia in there, and honestly, I’d do just about anything to avoid Iceland out of those four. I have no clue what the organizers are even thinking here... 🤔, but if that butcher Pavic is still playing, I’d rather stay far away from them too. Then there's the third pot, hmm... Poland actually looked pretty solid during the World Cup, so they aren't exactly pushovers. I wouldn't want to face Norway just because they're playing on home turf, and the Canadians? They are always a massive headache to deal with. Now, Slovakia being in this pot would be an absolute jackpot 😍
I actually feel bad for the Swedes; I mean, how low can you fall? Ending up in the fourth pot is pathetic 👎 basically anyone else would be fine by me. Here is my dream group setup with the final draw distribution:

1. USA
2. Russia
3. Slovakia
4. Mexico

We’ve been on such a lucky streak lately, we might actually end up in a group stage

America
Iceland
Poland
Sweden

And if we make it through, we'll be facing off against the Germans, Norwegians, and Frenchmen in the next round 🙄

frozentiger6 said:Given our track record over the last few years, we’ll probably end up in a group together.

America
Iceland
Poland
Sweden

And then, in the next round, we'll likely face off against the Germans, Norwegians, and Frenchmen.🙄

Not a chance! I refuse to succumb to this defeatism.😁

electricdriver93 said:No way! : a firm NO to defeatism!:😁

That’s just that typical frozentiger6 optimism right there 🙄 — where you basically act like 😁"you just don't get it" 😁

It’s really important that we don't end up facing just the Frenchmen in the semifinals, isn't it? If they stick to that old tournament format, we might just find them sitting in that other group instead.

In the meantime, both Vori and Lazar have officially signed on with Washington, D.C., so it's all official now!

I’m really hoping Washington, D.C. can hold their own against the best in Europe...
Honestly, I'd much rather watch Washington, D.C. right now since they actually have some great talent on the roster, instead of Dinamo...
And maybe Mamic could take a page out of Washington, D.C.'s book—a player isn't truly ours until that contract is officially signed!!!

I honestly don't get why everyone is freaking out over the Norwegians... I mean, what have they actually accomplished in men's handball over the last few years? Absolutely nothing!
In the third group, you've got those powerhouse Canadians, then the Germans in the second, and the Swedes in the fourth—everyone knows their style of play, and right now they're busy bringing in some young talent to refresh the squad.

They were just here in Santa Barbara, but I didn't get a chance to see them play.

silentsurfer19 said:I honestly don't get why everyone is so intimidated by the Norwegians... I mean, what have they actually accomplished in men's handball over the last few years? Absolutely nothing!

They beat us 😎

They're a solid team, and being the home team doesn't hurt either—though if being the hosts actually matters, you'd expect them to at least scrape into the semifinals alongside teams like Canada or Tunisia.

And don't even get me started on how much people are hyping up the Canadian team.😕

Look, if you ask me about Laslo Najd, Ivo Diaz, Djula Gal, or Fazekas 😕
they aren't exactly garbage, okay? 😉

Roger Allen3 said:they totally crushed us 😎

They're a solid squad, plus they're playing on home turf—and if being the home team and having the crowd and refs on your side actually counts for anything, you're looking at a minimum semi-final run (like Canada or Tunisia)

And what's this nonsense about the Canadians being "dark horses"... 😕

The Canadians could easily be in the second pot instead of Canada or Russia. 100%

And as for those Norwegians beating us... when exactly? At what major tournament? When was the last time they even showed up to a real competition?

Forget about the Norwegians; I’m honestly more terrified of the Frenchmen and our legendary "expert" coaching staff, specifically Keta-Cervar (look, Cervar is alright, but Keta? Lord help us)

I’d bet my life that if we face the French again, Cervar is going to get burned in the exact same way. The guy is just too stubborn to listen to anyone else's advice or take even a shred of criticism.

As for the roster, the talent pool could actually be stronger than it's ever been. Valcic signed with Ademar Leon, so I’m really hoping he finds that old form again. Then you’ve got Bicanic, Cupic, Duvnjak, Vukovic, Vukic, Blazevic, and Vukas—we have enough raw material to field two different national teams, and even our B-team would be fighting for a top seed.
But knowing how our "experts" operate, they'll find ways to squeeze in spots for Josip Valcic, John, and those other half-baked players who represent the likes of Washington, D.C. and pipa Cakovac.

To be blunt, I don't see a gold medal happening. Maybe we scrape by with some silver before dropping out, but as long as Keta is involved, there is zero chance of gold.

Now they've handed him the cadet team 😵 and he's just going to run them into the ground.

frozentiger6 said:Forget the Norwegians; my real anxiety stems from the Frenchmen and our own "expert" coaching staff, Keta-Cervar (look, the latter is fine, but Keta? God help us)

Back when we had Pipe, we actually had gold.😳

silentsurfer19 said:And they actually beat us... when? At what major tournament? When was the last time they even showed up to a competition?

Don't play dumb. We got schooled by them back in Tunisia two years ago.😕

David Taylor13 said:Laslo Nađ, Ivo Diaz, Djula Gal, Fazekas 😕
they aren't half bad! 😉

Wow, man! How old is Ivo Diaz anyway? 🤣

I haven't the slightest clue 😕 honestly, it’s not even close to being decent 🤣
just forget about them, they'll end up digging someone up eventually, they're just typical opportunists 😁
edit: alright, looks like Uncle Google finally gave me an answer:
Diaz Ivo 05.10.72 Gál Gyula 08.18.76
Diaz Ivo 05.10.72 Gál Gyula 08.18.76