Anzinger handball lions before Herculean task in "death group"

Created: 01/14/2023, 1:00 p.m

By: Patrik Stäbler

Until it hurts: Kreshnik Krasniqi (left, in a duel against Haunstetten) and the Anzinger Löwen have to be prepared for extremely tough resistance in the Bayernliga relegation round next week.

© stefan rossmann

On Monday, a renowned sports psychologist should have come to the training of the Anzinger handball players, who has already advised various Bundesliga clubs and even the national team.

Anzing – The goal, says trainer Hubert Müller, would have been for the expert in positive thinking and team spirit to work with his team.

“Just so that the players get mentally stronger again.” However, the psychologist had to cancel her visit due to scheduling problems;

now the session is scheduled to take place at the end of January.

This episode shows that the Anzinger Löwen set everything in motion again before the second half of this Bayernliga season starts on January 21st.

And that is also necessary, after all, a real Herculean task awaits them in the relegation round called playdowns.

Because of the eight teams that will play against each other until mid-May in the mode of everyone against everyone and in the first and second leg, five, if not six, have to go into the state league.

The exact number of relegations depends on the performance of the Bavarian clubs in the 3rd division.

"It's a death group," says Müller about the playdowns.

"And basically it's almost a bit unfair because you're going to need a lot of luck - with injuries, illnesses and corona cases".

Especially since the four clubs from the Bayernliga Süd – in addition to Anzing, there are Ismaning, Haunstetten and Friedberg – there are four clubs from the Nord-Staffel, including at least two heavyweights.

"Bad Neustadt and Lohr are the big favourites," says Müller, who looks after the lions with Kay Hoffman.

And Roßtal and TV Erlangen-Bruck, who will be the SVA's first opponent on January 21, should not be underestimated.

In any case, at the end of the season, several seasoned Bayern league teams will be hit, including the lions themselves.

They missed the playoffs by a hair's breadth in the preliminary round and collected the most points of all playdown participants.

That alone is now worthless - after all, the previous results are not taken into the relegation round.

There, all clubs start from scratch, "so it will be about every single game and every single goal," emphasizes Müller.

His team's recent upward form, which has won seven of the last ten games, gives him hope.

"We're in a good mood," confirms the coach, "and have a broad squad." Almost all of it is now ready for action again.

Lasse Rehmeyer is back in training after his knee injury.

With Florian Ehrenstorfer, on the other hand, according to coach Hubert Müller, it will take another two or three weeks before he is fully resilient again.

PATRIK STAEBLER