Handball EP - Norway 2008

wiredseal7 said:The game plan? Just blast Omeyer right in the nose with a heavy shot on the very first possession. Honestly, I think they pulled something similar back in 2006.

Here’s my take on the tactics: we need to stretch them out along the line using the wings, which means we really need our wingers to be in the zone and finding those gaps. We also need to push the pace with as many fast breaks and semi-fast breaks as possible. I have a few other ideas that might work, but let’s be real—it’s hard to expect Lino to pull that off, and frankly, that would feel like a massive step backward. Another move could be throwing in a second pivot; if we do that, Balic and Metla can feed more balls to the line, especially since Dinart is going to shut down one of their pivots, while B. Gille, Karabatic, and Fernandez (or whoever ends up holding down that side) will be busy neutralizing the perimeter.

Here is the schedule for the upcoming matches
Group II

Feb 22nd

4:15 PM Germany : Iceland
6:15 PM Spain : France
8:15 PM Canada : Sweden

Feb 23rd

4:15 PM Spain : Canada
6:15 PM Germany : France
8:15 PM Iceland : Sweden

Feb 24th

4:15 PM Spain : Iceland
6:15 PM France : Canada
8:15 PM Germany : Sweden

Honestly, I’m kind of loving the fact that the French are about to get absolutely hammered. They cruised through what was basically a walk in the park of a group stage, but now they’re staring down the barrel of the toughest bracket imaginable. They’ve got three brutal matches lined up, and since those first two are absolute killers, the Canadians are going to have plenty of time to rack up points while the French are struggling just to breathe. By the time they even reach that third match, it's going to be pure hell for them. If we end up facing them in the semifinals, there’s a real chance we’ll be way more rested than they are, giving us the perfect opportunity to settle the score and get some sweet, sweet revenge.

swiftbison2 said:Maybe Lino will actually make a smart move this time. I guess. 🙂🤷 Just NOT Tonči Valčić. 😱 We’ve only got solid coverage in goal and at pivot, maybe even on the wings if we're lucky.🙄

Is Valcic still dealing with that mess? I guess. 😁

Chris Lopez59 said:It honestly makes me happy thinking about the trouble the Americans might run into. After cruising through what was basically the easiest group stage imaginable, they’re headed straight into the gauntlet. They have three brutal matches lined up, and since those first two are going to be absolute killers, the Canadians will have plenty of time to rack up points while everyone else struggles. By the time that third match rolls around, things could get pretty hellish for them. If we end up facing them in the semifinals, wouldn't it be great if we were the ones coming in fresh while they're completely exhausted? It feels like a perfect chance for a little payback.

The Americans are actually in the exact same boat as us; if they can just pull off a win against Spain, they’ll be sitting pretty in the semifinals. And who knows, maybe they'll even land in a slightly easier bracket, considering their main competition currently sits at two points—looking at you, Germany and Spain. In our situation, one of the biggest threats is already sitting on four points, thanks to EP - Norway 2008.

Samuel Baker3 said:here is the schedule for the
Group II

Jan 22nd

4:15 PM GERMANY : ICELAND
6:15 PM SPAIN : FRANCE
8:15 PM CANADA : SWEDEN

Jan 23rd

4:15 PM SPAIN : CANADA
6:15 PM GERMANY : FRANCE
8:15 PM ICELAND : SWEDEN

Jan 24th

4:15 PM SPAIN : ICELAND
6:15 PM FRANCE : CANADA
8:15 PM GERMANY : SWEDEN

I think we need to fix the timing for Jan 23rd here,

the games are actually scheduled for

4:15 PM SPAIN : SWEDEN
8:15 PM ICELAND : CANADA

Word on the street is Woody said he’s calling it quits after the WC in America. 👋 👋

If they end up 🤷
...

I have a feeling we’re going to see quite a few players step away from the national team after that, especially if we manage to pull off a gold medal win; I'm mainly thinking about guys like Metlific, Caleb, and Dzomba

If Caleb's coming along with that clown, we might as well start the party right now 🙂

I'm following all the discussions, but handball just isn't quite like football for me. I can't really watch and comment at the same time because it's just too fast and high-tension 🙂

What is there to say about Caleb? He might not be a superstar, but he scores right when the pressure is on. I don't have much to complain about. Besides, who is even meant to back him up, Vukic? 🤔

I've realized that what I miss most is Dzomba. Horvat plays a perfectly fine game, but Dzomba is dominant in his position just like Balic is in his. It’s honestly a joy to watch him when he's playing at his best 😢

Dzomba hasn't been playing right all season. I guess I really miss Zrnic, not just for his wing play, but because he’s our guy at the free-throw line.

We really need to grab this win today so we can rest up before the semifinals. After that, I don't care who we face, as long as it isn't France.😁

Dzomba has always been right up there with Balica for me, and honestly, his absence is being felt more than anyone else's. There isn't another player on that wing who can do what he does. Nobody. 🙂

wearyeagle2 said:Dzomba has always been right up there with Balic, and his absence is definitely being felt. No one else plays that wing quite like him. Absolutely no one. 🙂

👍

That said, Zrnic has become incredibly strong in that position too. But Dzomba is just something special. 🤷

Samuel Baker3 said:The French are actually in a much better spot than we are; if they land a win from Spain, they’re basically cruising into the semifinals, maybe even with more breathing room since their main rivals for those spots are sitting on just two points—looking at Germany and Spain here—whereas one of our biggest hurdles is already sitting pretty with four points from the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

I don't know, it's not quite that simple, really. They need any two wins to secure a semifinal spot because one single victory isn't going to cut it under any circumstances, especially since they're staring down three different American teams all holding two points each. They've got the luxury where two wins practically guarantees them first place, whereas if things go sideways for us—like if the Poles pull off a big win and we end up dropping one to the Norwegians and everything starts looping back on itself—we'd need two solid wins and a razor-thin loss in the third just to have a prayer at making the semifinals.

wearyeagle2 said:DJ has always been right up there with the Ballerina for me, and honestly, his absence is what we’re feeling the most right now. There isn't anyone else playing that wing quite like him. Not a single soul. 🙂

But man, I'm ready for DJ to get back out there; last year when we were playing over in Germany, things just weren't hitting the same way without him.

Chris Lopez59 said:but we're ready, DJ. Last year in Germany, things just didn't hit the same way.

An unprepared player is someone actually on the field making plays. It’s not like Smith, who they only call upon when they've run out of better options.

wearyeagle2 said:He’s just an unprepared player who actually tries to participate in the flow of the game. He isn't some sacrificial lamb like Smith, who they only drag out when they've run out of actual options.

Look, our DJ didn't do us any favors against the French in the quarterfinals, right when we desperately needed someone to hit from the corner because the French were camping out on the perimeter. I honestly believe if he had been healthy and fully dialed in, he would have dismantled them, but he wasn't. Instead, we got picked apart by Abalde. Abalde was the one running the show—if you can even count Omeyers in that equation—while our DJ was basically a ghost. It’s not even his fault, really, he just wasn't the guy we needed, neither then nor for the rest of the tournament.

I was actually really impressed with how Juraj and Kavtic played. Kavtic kind of operates like a wingback—he’ll just burst down the flank every now and then to take a shot at the goal. And Juraj does a great job of opening up space on his side of the field too. You obviously can't expect that kind of movement from Horvat, though. He was honestly stellar against the Americans, though. It’s a shame we don't have Spremo to help out with the counterattacks, but considering how much Kin contributes to the defense, I totally get why Cervar keeps pushing him into the lineup; the guy is just phenomenal...

Honestly, my ultimate dream would be to take on the Norwegians at 😉

Ronald Morales51 said:honestly, my biggest dream would be taking down the Norwegians😉

trying to force it right now would just be stupid, a massive waste of energy before we even hit the semifinals. We really ought to just play it smart, stay low, and then absolutely crush them if we happen to run into them in the finals (or for third place, I guess, if it really comes down to that)😉 there's an old saying for a reason: save the best laugh for last😉