GOG THIRD IN CHAMPIONS CUP

Danish champions GOG Svendborg TGI, who will be one of Denmark’s two participants in the Men’s Champions League this season, finished third in the Champions Cup tournament in the German town of Zwickau this weekend. GOG won a test match the day before the start of the tournament 37:28 against German 2^nd Bundesliga team LHC Cottbus, and in the tournament itself the Danes started off by defeating Polish champions Zaglibie Lublin 38:35. They lost the second match against German Bundesliga team SC Magdeburg 35:27, to be defeated by Creteil of France 37:35.

These results meant that GOG had to play for the third position against Dessau from the 2^nd Bundesliga – and the Danes managed to win this match 36:28 and took the third place. Magdeburg won the tournament after defeating Granollers 28:27 in the final.

Coach generally satisfied

“I think we got a lot out of the tournament, and it is my impression that the integration of our new players is progressing according to plan”, GOG coach Ulf Schefvert told Eurohandball.com.

“In the match against Ljublin, one of our new players, Swedish defender Magnus Jernemyr, injured a knee and missed the rest of the tournament, but we did very well as long as we were playing at full strength – and the fact that we lost as big to Magdeburg as we did, was mainly due to the fact that we practically fell out of the game for 10 or 12 minutes!”, added Schefvert, whose team will be opening the Danish league at home against AaB Håndbold on September 8^th – and whose first challenge in the Champions League will be in Spain against Portland San Antonio on September 26^th.

TEXT : Peter Bruun

Great Plans, Promising Squad

MKB VeszprÚm, quarterfinalist last season in the Champions League, have gone through big changes during the summer. Coach Zdravko Zovko was replaced by Lajos Mocsai, a most experienced and succesful Hungarian expert. The greatest star, FYR Macedonian Kiril Lazarov left, while young players (IlyÚs, T. Ivßncsik, Markovic) joined the club.

The team are currently in Germany preparing for the season. Last weekend, VeszprÚm finished second at the Br³mmerhof Cup after beating Hamburg and losing against THW Kiel. This week, the squad travels to the Schlecker Cup to meet top teams including Kiel. Between the two tournaments, VeszprÚm played against lower division German teams.

Eurohandball.com asks new coach, Lajos Mocsai, about the preparations and about the prospects of his young team.

Eurohandball.com: The Hungarian Championship starts early September, the Champions League group stage starts at the end of September. How does VeszprÚm prepare at the moment?

Lajos Mocsai: Our preparation will have three phases. The second phase just began in Germany. We play lots of test matches û we played five in just six days. The most important is to finalise our tactical plans. The third phase will be in Hungary where we will be training until the start of the championship.

Eurohandball.com: Your team takes part at big tournaments with top clubs. How are these tests going?

Lajos Mocsai: Bundesliga starts two weeks earlier than the Hungarian championship and it means that the German teams have a two-week advantage over us. Our players arrived to Br³mmerhof Cup tired from fitness trainings, hungry for some handball and they were highly motivated. This is a possible way to reach good results.

This week we have been travelling a lot. We played many matches with German teams and we arrive to the Schlecker Cup after all this. We would like to be good opponents of these top teams, but we are in a phase of great physical fatigue. All matches are important for us when we can play against foreign clubs to see what our players are capable of.

Eurohandball.com: There have been many changes in VeszprÚm. What is your new, young team like?

Lajos Mocsai: We have 6 or 7 player who are 21 to 23 years old. We work continuously on different aspects: we want to reach top level in physical abilities. This is very important in international handball today. We also want to get closer to the European elite. There are differences, however. German teams also buy young players, but those young handballers have 3-4 years of Bundesliga experience. ItÆs enough to mention Kiel signing the Czech Jicha, for example.

The players we sign are not mature players and they need 1 or 2 years to reach top level. We have an agreement in VeszprÚm. We are going to take a look at the team one year from now and we will see which players are able to take us to the top international level, which are not.

Eurohandball.com: Does it mean that there is a lot of patience from the managementÆs side?

Lajos Mocsai: This will be a year of serious work. Luckily, the young players are quick, creative ones who work with great mentality.

In VeszprÚm it was always important to evolve, but at the same time it was also important to keep on bringing good results.

Eurohandball.com: It will not be easy in the Champions League this time. VeszprÚm are in a very strong groupà

Lajos Mocsai: We are in one group with former CL winning Celje and the German Gummersbach. The latter I know well because I also worked there not long ago. They are a rich club, signed good players, they play in the K÷lnarenaà Fantastic! Everyone expects them to finish in the first five teams of the Bundesliga. The fourth team will probably be Reykjavik, which is also a difficult opponent.

This is the strongest group in the Champions League for sure. I believe that the home games will be crucial. The team that makes an away victory will qualify for the main round.

Eurohandball.com: What will be decisive in the race for the first two places?

Lajos Mocsai: It all depends on the form in the given period. Who has fewer injuries, who can concentrate better at the given game? This will decide. The differences are tiny.

TEXT: Eurohandball.com

ALBERTO ENTRERROS: THE ROCKER OF CIUDAD REAL

Everybody knows who Alberto EntrerrÝos is on a court. He has won the Champions League title with Ciudad Real, the World Championship with the national team of Spain, and with 145 caps for Spain making him a truly great international handball player. But not so many people know that Alberto also plays guitar and is part of the rock group, ôSemilla negraö.

Alberto first picked up a guitar three years ago and the band played their first concert this summer in a small town not too far away from Ciudad Real. Alberto and his band will play their next gig on the 19^th August as the opening act for the famous 80Æs Spanish group ôNacha Popö in Ciudad Real.

ôWe are just trying to have a good time, nothing more, nothing less. It is very nice to forget the stress of our day jobs and enjoy this time we have making musicö says Alberto who sometimes finds it difficult to meet up with the other band members for practice as being part of the Ciudad Real team means that the player is travelling from one city to another. ôSometimes, I cannot play due to my responsibilities within the team, thankfully they understand thatö

EntrerrÝos used to travel with a small guitar which he used to play in his leisure time. ôMusic and handball are not very different. You need to be mentally strong and work hard at it everyday.ö Alberto has played in pavilions with 5000-6000 people shouting his name, but at his very first concert, he was very nervous. ôI was sweating, very nervous...my mates had played to the public before, but for me it was the first time. However, I was able to get past the nerves and just enjoyö.

Alberto Entrerrios is not the first player of Asobal League who shares music and handball as their prime passions. Tomas Svensson has also recorded a CD in Sweden and plays guitar too.

TEXT: Fernando Urra Go±i

SG Flensburg û Handewitt: Title dreams and a match in Copenhagen

Alexander Petersson, Lars Christiansen, Marcin Lijewski and Johnny Jensen are immersed in the shadows. The expression on their faces are determined, their arms crossed Infront of them û as if to say, ôno one can get us!ö These impressive background pictures created the scene for the presentation of SG Flensburg-HandewittÆs objectives for the coming season, which û as usual û include hopes of a title. ôWe have a very strong team againö, declared Coach Kent Harry Andersson. ôWe can attack at the top once again and go far in the Champions League.ö

The ônorthern lightsö have around 5 million euro to help realise these ambitions - less than their rivals from Kiel (6.5) and Hamburg (5.3). ôWe donÆt have a hall for 10 000 spectators or a generous patron, or a manifold of companies nearbyö, said President Frerich Eilts. ôFor us marketing and business are extremely important.ö This is the reason why SG have built-up a double management duo, managing director Fynn Holpert (ôwho should create new interest in the clubö) and the sport director Anders Dahl-Nielsen (ôwho will work close to the teamö). This duo has created a special project in desperate times: when the Campushalle (6 000 season tickets) is booked for 6 days for an exhibition, the ônorthern lightsö want to move them home match against Gummersbach to Copenhagen (Br÷ndyhall, 6 500 spectatators) to do some important promotional work. ôDenmark has a booming economy with many companies, which need the German marketö, says Fynn Holpert. ôAnd SG Flennsburg-Handewitt is a top product from Germany.ö

At the beginning of the season, Flensburg have to make do without three of their best players. S÷ren Stryger (damaged cartilage and whose return is being questioned), Blazenko Lackovic (knee) and Frank von Behren (broken hand). The Croatian has returned after being examined by a specialist. ôIn four weeks, heÆll be back on courtö, thinks team doctor Dr. Hauke Mommsen. ôBut lets not forget that this is the third knee operation for Blazenko Lackovic .ö Frank Von Behren will probably make a comeback by the end of September. Captain Ljubomir Vranjes has high expectations for the new season. ôAs captain I have to push the team if we want to win the title.ö

TEXT: Jan KirschnerTRANSLATION: EHF

Karabatic Wants "More Perfect Season"

Nikola Karabatic was the special guest and helping hand at the Men’s Champions League Draw for the 2007/08 season. The left back player of CL winning THW Kiel was handed over the Top Scorer Award as well for last season. Paul Bray, moderator of the evening, asked Nikola about his achievement.

Paul Bray: You had an amazing season: won the Champions League together with the top scorer award, you won the German Championship and the German Cup and you were also chosen best player of the league. What can be your next goal?

Nikola Karabatic: It was a pretty good season, we won almost everything possible, but we lost the World Championship semi-final against Germany. It could have been more perfect…

Paul Bray: Next year you can try again in Beijing, maybe…

Nikola Karabatic: It will be a great year for us: Olympic Games, European Championship and Champions League. We will have a lot to do; we hope to win all of these. That is the reason I signed a new contract, we still have objectives with my club.

Paul Bray: You have Omeyer, another French player in Kiel. Did he help you to feel at home?

Nikola Karabatic: I moved to Kiel two years ago and I felt at home already after 4 months. It is a good club, good managers… It is perfect for a player to be in Kiel. I hope we will sign even more French players as I always speak only German and at the end I forget French.

TEXT: Paul Bray