2007 Men's World Handball Championship: Germany Recap/Discussion

Honestly, Losert performs well provided he has solid support from a backup keeper. If he’s left out there on an island, I worry he might buckle under the pressure. As for the younger guys, since Lino doesn't quite possess the tactical brilliance of Bilic and we no longer have Pipeta to rely on, they're really going to have to step up and dominate the goal.

Going from Ket to gold 🙂

frozentiger6 said:Young and green 😁

Not quite ready for the spotlight yet—only 21, after all—but hey, maybe I'm wrong. We'll see.
From what I've seen, watching him since he was 17 when he was ripping 15-20 balls off Barca back in their prime, the kid's reflexes are unreal. Just like how Sterbik is a phenomenon at 130 kg, this kid is his own kind of freak with those reflexes and being two meters tall.

Personally, I've got a feeling Mirko is going to force his way in during training camp and push both Losert and Jerkovica out the door.
The real issue is whether he can mesh with the guys in such a short window. Like I said, the goalie and the defense have to act as one unit.

Keta isn't going to be an assistant coach; he’s actually stepping into Gopac’s old role as the Director of Men's National Teams for USA Basketball.

So, who’s actually going to be sitting on the bench next to Lin? My gut says Keta, even though they’re out there announcing some "new guy." Kljun doesn't stand a chance of showing up—he'd probably rather be six feet under than sit on a bench with Lin.
Maybe Mozd Stenzl, but like feralbison62 said, I highly doubt the guy can even remember his own name.

Anyway, Lino has been out in Santa Barbara for days running drills with guys from the domestic league, and he’s already cut everyone except Vukic, J. Valcic, Kaleb, Anusic, Duvnjak, Bicanic, and Horvat. Let's be real: Anusic 🙂 Josip Valcic 😵 wouldn't even be there if they weren't based in Washington, D.C.

And what is that jerk Gopac up to? Smajlagic takes the cadets on training trips to Canada, yet Gobac bans the cadets from Washington, D.C. from joining those same sessions. 🙄It's true—apparently Tojsic headed out, but the rest are stuck.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit I was being blunt when I said our forwards are mediocre at best.

We can talk about defense all we want—whatever—but if our goalie can't stop guys cutting in from the wings, a couple of fast breaks, and a penalty, then forget about any medals.

So, Peharec handles the tactics while Feldbauer takes care of the mental prep 🙂

Look, let’s be real: they’re just average. When I stack them up against the keepers from the heavy hitters—like France, Germany, or Spain—they don't even come close. We can only pray that one of them finally hits the big time, like Sola did in Portugal. He eventually stepped up as Valter’s backup and carved out a spot on the national team that nobody could touch, aside from a shoulder injury keeping him sidelined.

Then again, if you ask me, having Sola out might actually be a good thing. His peak is starting to slip. Sure, he might still put together a couple of solid performances, but maintaining that elite level for an entire tournament? I doubt it. It's time to find a new number one. Let Sola ride it out with the squad through the next Olympics, or maybe even the Euro held in Norway. If we actually make it there, of course 😁

Just put your faith in Mirko.🙂

feralbison62 said:Put your faith in Mirko.🙂

Give me a break. 😁

I’m going to be the pessimist here and say I just hope they manage to assert themselves at some point down the road. Honestly, knowing how Cervar operates, he’s going to keep pushing Jerkovic and Losert until there's nothing left to give—at least as long as he's allowed to get away with it.

Right now, the one thing I'm fixated on is whether Tonc is actually going to follow through on his word. Word on the street—though don't quote me on this since I don't know if it's gospel truth—is that he basically turned his back on the national team just to side with Irfan. Apparently, things were pretty heated between them.
Now that Irfan is gone, it looks like Tonc is itching to make a comeback.

I still have no clue who this Jerkovic guy is 😕

What do we actually know about him? 😕

Honestly, things weren't any better with Mirko last season. If he's playing alongside an elite talent like Saric this year, his minutes should skyrocket. He’s the type of guy who defends one quarter and then absolutely rips it up during whatever time he actually gets on the floor.
It's no small feat to lead the league in defensive efficiency while barely seeing fifteen minutes of action.
He needs some real run during preseason and, obviously, some minutes against the lighter competition in the group stage.

Jerkovic is playing defense over in Schaffhausen.

Alilovic , Mirko 37/67=55% 🙂 👋

That was just from 30 feet away, which is exactly what we need... honestly, nobody is going to show up for us unless maybe someone like a big-name pro shows interest. 🤣

frozentiger6 said:Jerkovic is playing defense in Schaffhausen.

Why so stingy with the words? Give us a little more!🙂

Honestly, there isn't much to say. He’s not bad, but he’s already 31 and hasn't exactly set the world on fire with his career so far.

He did hold his own in goal during a few matches at this World Cup, though.

Oh, and I remember back when he was playing for ThSV Eisenach, everyone used to call him Granite. 😁

He played like a man possessed that year when he grabbed the Golden Boot alongside Metković

After that, though—he was just your run-of-the-mill keeper, much like everyone else on this list

So, what's left for us then? 😕 Mirko 👋

Looks like we’re down a man, even without Losert on the roster.

He took a hit yesterday, and the doctors are saying he'll need at least three to four weeks of downtime to recover.

Who exactly is going to step up and defend us, Petrić?

Chloe Palmer2 said:Who's going to step up and defend us—Petrić?

😁 😁 😁