Expert's Column: Ekke Hoffmann on the CL Final

Eurohandball.com’s expert, the former head coach of the German women’s national team and EHF lecturer, Ekke Hoffmann predicted two very close games before the final. We talked to him again after the first leg that could not have been more equal.

eurohandball.com: The first leg of the final ended with a 28-28 draw. Is it a surprise?

Ekke Hoffmann: Kiel used their capacities better than Flensburg and this led to the draw at the end. The real surprise is that Flensburg did not try to speed the game up. There were very few fast breaks at the first game. The hosts only made two, Kiel made seven of them.

It was very good for Kiel as they had only seven field players fit for the match and they did not want to play at high speed. It was a very good tactical solution from their coach.

eurohandball.com: In fact, the injuries did not seem to worry the Kielers too much...

Ekke Hoffmann: They were affected by the injuries anyway. They could resort to a smaller number of tactical solutions and they had to play slower than usually.

eurohandball.com: Do you think the chances are still 50-50%?

Ekke Hoffmann: One thing is sure: Kiel will play a faster game at home. On the other hand, it is a great advantage for Flensburg that Vranjes will return after his ban. The two playmakers, Vranjes and Lövgren were missing a lot for their teams.

eurohandball.com: What will decide the trophy at the end?

Ekke Hoffmann: The goalkeepers – I have to emphasise it again. In the first game Omeyer was better and it was important for Kiel.

Apart from the goalies, the defensive work will be crucial. The teams are quite equal in attack, but Flensburg could not win the first game because they were not aggressive enough in defence. They were simply too passive and Kiel were better in attack.

The question is whether Flensburg are able to learn from their mistake and whether they would be more aggressive in defence. We just have to wait and see…

Click here to read the first part of Ekke Hoffmann's column.