World watches O2 World

Our “Match of the Week” takes us to Berlin and the sold-out O2 World Arena. Berlin was the surprise package of the VELUX EHF Champions League last season and currently sit second in Group D with visitors Barcelona sitting on top.

Barcelona, according to the statistics is currently the best team in the group stages thus far. Both have already qualified for the knockout stages.

Marcel Proust wrote that; “Happiness is beneficial for the body, but grief powers the mind” and this I believe is fundamental to Barcelona’s season so far.

They have won the ASOBAL cup, the sit prettily atop the league in Spain and they are playing some fantastic handball, as they did on the way to the VELUX EHF Champions League title two years ago.

Last season they lost their crown in the away match against Copenhagen and not even a great return leg could overcome the deficit. This grief has powered their minds. Barcelona is hungry again. This was most evident in the game against Minsk.

Trailing against the Belarusians by 6 with 13 minutes to play, having just committed two atrocious technical faults; Xavi Pascual called his second time out of the half just nine minutes after he called the first one.

It was the best use of the new time out rules I had seen. He calls for a 4:1:1 defence, which unnerves the Minsk team. Slowly but surely with the help of “Disco Dani’s” dancing feet they overcame the Dinamo team by a solitary goal 25:24.

This was the closest they had come to losing in the competition this season, but as every coach will tell you; “Winning is a habit” and Barca, after last year’s dismay have regained the winning habit.

All the players look hungry, none more so than Víctor Tomás, the captain, who epitomises so much of what Barcelona is about. But, I also want to mention Sorhaindo, who, normally I feel has so much more to give.

He appears nonchalant and languid on the court at the best of times, but this season has looked more alert, fighting for balls and even diving on them to retrieve lost causes.

They lost their previous captain Nagy and the Russian right back Igropulo, (to Berlin) and have replaced them with two great, yet different players. Montoro has a canon of an arm and Gurbindo is quicker on his feet. Both will keep the Berlin defence busy on the day.

Berlin for their part got a hammering away to Barcelona earlier in the group. In fact, in the two games they have lost, (Minsk also beat them) they have lost them both badly.

It must be stressed that in the Barca game they were without Igropulo and in the Minsk game, they were without Christophersson. Berlin is not a team that can easily cope with losing players in the back division so I expect a great game from them if they have a full complement of players.

There are many things I like about Berlin. Although they are playing at the top level in European handball, they are willing to give junior players a chance. Loffler, Sellin (although he has recently been sold) Drux and Wiede are all products of their academy and Dagur Siggurdsson is willing to play them.

They have made mistakes, remember Wiede in the last VELUX EHF FINAL4, misses a fast break, a penalty and the penalty rebound (Sorry Fabian), but he is back in the squad and no doubt mentally stronger for the experience.

But one thing I will say for this side is that their preparation is meticulous. The old adage “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” comes to mind.

Last year they lost at home to Veszprém and in the return leg a week later demolished them. The same can be said for the 11 goal deficit they turned around against León in the quarter-finals last year.

This leads me to believe that “The Foxes” will have their homework done and that Barcelona will be up against it in this game. Berlin’s support is 13,000 strong in this arena and they can make some noise.

A final word goes to the two great captains of this team; Laen and Tomás. They both play to win, one with his heart on his sleeve and another with a quiet steely demeanour.

If I were still playing, I would follow either of these two men into battle and give my all to win. At the moment Barcelona has the “Eye of the Tiger”, but come Sunday the eye of the fox will be on them.
 

Further information
Follow the Round 8 Match of the Week live on ehfTV.com on Sunday, 17:15 hrs local time