'Changing of the players' continues for Germany
'Changing of the players' continues for Germany
One month out of their crucial EHF EURO 2014 qualification matches against Czech Republic on 4 and 7 April, Germany's men's national teams will play three test matches in just one week.
Head coach Martin Heuberger has summoned his players already for Tuesday (5 March) when the squad will take to the court for a charity match against German Bundesliga team Melsungen.
The benefits of this match will go to the families of Bernd and Reiner Methe. The German referee pair was fatally wounded in a car crash in 2011.
Matches two and three are a double-test header against Switzerland on Saturday (9 March) and Sunday.
And Heuberger continues his the transition of his squad and is even picking up pace in this process compared to the 2013 World Championship in Spain, where his team finished fifth in January.
Once again a huge number of players will celebrate their debut against Switzerland - one of them is Christian Dissinger who will face several of his club teammates from Kadetten Schaffhausen.
Heuberger makes use of the fact that Oliver Roggisch, Patrick Groetzki (both Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Stefan Kneer (SC Magdeburg) and Michael Haaß (Frisch Auf Göppingen) will miss those tests due to their matches in the EHF Cup Group Phase.
Switzerland have to replace their top star, Andy Schmid who, like Roggisch and Groetzki, also plays for Rhein Neckar Löwen. "Maybe the absence of Andy will to be our own benefit. Because now other players have to take up much responsibility," said Swiss head coach, Goran Perkovac.
His German counterpart, Martin Heuberger, also did not nominate Holger Glansdorf and Lars Kaufmann from VELUX EHF Champions League participant, SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
Both players had missed the World Championship with injuries.
"I want to test our young players as part of our transition. But the decision not to nominate Glandorf and Kaufmann does not mean that they are out for the EHF EURO qualification matches against the Czech Republic," Heuberger told eurohandball.com.
His team will be under pressure against Czech Republic as Germany lost their qualification opener against Montenegro and is therefore currently only ranked third with two points, level with the Czech Republic who have also pocketed two points so far.
The test match series will also mark the debut for Germany's new assistant coach, Jan Gorr.
The 34-year-old succeeds Frank Carstens who left the national team after the World Championship, saying that he would like to fully focus on his duties as head coach of Bundesliga team and EHF Cup participant, SC Magdeburg.
"I am very happy that the German Handball Federation (DHB) nominated me for that job," Gorr was quoted on the DHB's website. "I'll give it all I have to support Martin and the great development of our team."
One the major successes in Gorr's coaching career so far has been steering TV Hüttenberg to the Bundesliga in 2011.
