The man knows how weakened teams cause a sensation at a World Cup.
In 2007 Christian Schwarzer won the title with the DHB selection.
And he believes the German team will play a good role in Egypt.
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The second row has to fix it: like Sebastian Firnhaber against Austria here.
© Sampics
Munich
- Christian Schwarzer has a lot of time these days.
The German handball idol is youth coordinator at the Saarland regional association.
But even there, operations are largely idle during lockdown days.
In contrast to the World Cup in Egypt, which starts today, on which the 51-year-old also has a very divided opinion.
Cancellations by top performers are almost normal before major tournaments.
This year there are - also due to the pandemic - nine players who are not there.
Comprehensible?
I can totally understand the guys.
If someone says: In the current situation, I don't want to leave my family alone, then that's totally understandable.
I mean, it's good and important that the sport is present.
The other side is: the Olympic Games will be postponed.
And whether it is hip to play a World Cup while elsewhere people are fighting for their lives, one can certainly be divided.
One argument is: those involved are protected.
In a bubble.
Yeah yeah
But whether it can work that way remains to be seen.
The NBA, for example, has shown that this can work.
But the biggest World Cup of all time ... In the Bundesliga, people fear that things will be similar to those in European Championship qualification.
Players get infected and the league becomes difficult to operate.
I can understand that very well too.
The NBA played in Disney World, the World Cup takes place in Egypt.
You played a World Cup there yourself in 1999.
Do you think a comparable standard is conceivable?
There are already renowned hotel chains there that offer very high standards.
But the general conditions are completely different.
That goes right up to the food.
It's not like you bring your own cook.
We had diarrhea.
Otherwise I remember, for example, a taxi ride where we had to hold the door because otherwise it would have opened.
Sometimes we made a program.
So that the ceiling doesn't fall on your head.
Egyptian Museum or the Market.
But of course, that's not possible this time.
How else did the pastime work for you?
We had the game "Settlers of Catan" back then.
That was relatively new.
Above all, Stefan Kretzschmar, Klaus-Dieter Petersen, Markus Baur and I managed to do this very well.
Otherwise, of course, you had the pool, even if you can't spend too much time there, of course.
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The world champion: In 2007, Schwarzer climbed the thrron with the DHB selection.
© Imago
And besides, a team has to grow.
That shouldn't be easy this time.
Especially since the national coach had little time to work with the players ...
Yes, the only preparation games were the qualifiers against Austria.
It's a strange situation.
Games in which you have to qualify for a European Championship and experiment at the same time.
But Alfred Gislason also made it clear that this task appeals to him.
At the 2007 World Cup, you were an emergency helper in a team that had been severely weakened and that initially had nobody on the bill.
In the end you became world champion.
Do you think such a dynamic is conceivable?
It is always possible.
Sure, there is a lack of top performers.
But the level is so high in the Bundesliga, there are a lot of good guys.
And these are guys who are going to crack the A ...
And when you also have successes, and that shouldn't be the problem now, then a feeling of invincibility can arise.
You saw that at THW Kiel in the Champions League or at us in 2007. Sometimes the best team wins.
But how does a team become the best?
Former national coach Heiner Brand once said that you need an emotional and a rational leader.
Above all, you need a clear hierarchy.
But you have. People like Uwe Gensheimer or Andi Wolff have played a lot of tournaments.
You can orientate yourself on them.
Then the trainer has to find a clear task for everyone.
That everyone sees that he has his meaning.
The only question for me is who can be the handlebars on the field.
Just like Markus Baur was in 2007 ...
Yes, the successful German teams have always had this type of player.
Martin Strobel was the last to go in this direction.
I see a gap there at the moment.
Juri Knorr would be someone I would trust to grow into it.
The boy is only 20. But who knows, Mimi Kraus wasn't necessarily on the bill in 2007 either.
What do you think the German team can do?
Oh, of course she's not the favorite there.
But I don't see why the team shouldn't aim for the semi-finals anyway.
And once that is achieved, anything can happen in a tournament like this.
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