Historic success

Löwen have minimal chance to reach the Final after a 24:37 defeat in Kiel. Nevertheless, Rhein Neckar Löwen want to show what they are really able to do, says Löwen coach Wolfgang Schwenke in an exclusive interview for Eurohandball.com.

Eurohandball.com: What was the team’s mood like after the clear defeat from Kiel?

Schwenke: As you may think, it was not good. We never expected to lose so clearly.

Eurohandball.com: After the match you said that there’s no realistic chance to reach the Finals. Do you still think so?

Schwenke: Yes, of course. When you play against one of the best teams in the world, which lost only one match in the Bundesliga season, it’s unrealistic to think about winning by 15 goals. We had a black day in Kiel. You can lose there, as many other teams lost there before, but not like this.

Eurohandball.com: What are your objectives on Thursday?

Schwenke: We want to show our fans what we are really able to do. We want to show that we’re much better than what they have seen in Kiel. And it’s our wish to say farewell to the Champions League with a good result.

Eurohandball.com: What did you learn from the first match? What do you want to change?

Schwenke: We analysed the match and our mistakes, but we’ll talk internally about what needs to be changed. We have a problem with missing players, especially from the backcourt line. Tkaczyk, Harbok and Shelmenko are still missing and Bielecki is injured too. We don’t have the options that Kiel have. THW changed from Jicha to Karabatic in the 13th minute while my only option was to substitute Bielecki with a young player, Steffen Fäth. Actually, he did not play badly. So this is the difference.

Eurohandball.com: This was the first season of Löwen in the CL and you reached the semi-finals. How would you evaluate it?

Schwenke: We played outstanding matches on international level. We won against Celje, Chambery and Chekhov and made two draws against Zagreb. To reach the Champions League was the biggest success in club’s history. We were hoping to get as far as possible. And now we’re in the semi-final, which means that we are among the four best teams in the world. This is great. We gained a lot of experience in the Champions League.