Kjetil Lundeberg chooses his squad for the first of their preparation tournaments ahead of the European Beach Handball Championship
Experienced Norwegian squad for Zagreb Open
Kjetil Lundeberg, coach of Norway´s men’s beach handball team, has nominated his squad for the Zagreb Open, a tournament on the European Beach Handball Tour, and the coach has pretty high expectations for the squad he is taking to the tournament on 6 to 9 June.
“It is a squad I have been working with more or less since the latest European Championship in Croatia, so it is a squad where the players work and play together very well,” Kjetil Lundeberg told eurohandball.com.
This also means that the squad is not likely to undergo many changes before the European Beach Handball Championship in Ramders, Denmark this July.
“My strategy is to avoid including too many new players at the same time, and considering the fact that this squad has been playing together more or less since 2011, it is fair to say that at least the core will be the same,” Lundeberg added.
After the Zagreb Open, the Norwegian team will be taking part in a further tournament on the European Beach Handball Tour, this time in Calella, Spain at the end of June, before going to Randers.
“We need those tournaments in order to get some training and match practice on sand, as the weather conditions in Norway are still too cold for that,” said Lundeberg who makes no secret of the aim for the European Championship.
“Our goal is to qualify for the semi-finals, and thus qualify for the World Championship for the first time. We have been close before, and I see our chances as good this time, but we are aware, of course, that a lot of other teams have improved a lot lately,” concluded Lundeberg.
Norwegian squad for Zagrab Open in Croatia:
Filip Svele (Fyllingen HB Elite) Espen Lie (Tvis KFUM) Orry Henriksen (Sandefjord TIF) Simen Heyerdahl (Spkl Falk)Martin G. Haldorsen (Haslum HK) Chris Gulliksen (Spkl Falk) Lars Erik Sørli (BSK/NIF) Tobias Glemming (IL Runar) Stig Robert Bekkelund (Sandefjord TIF) André Lindboe (ElverumHåndball)
TEXT:
Peter Bruun / cor