Any given Saturday

Finally we do a match in Group D. It's a strange group in that there are two seemingly very good teams and the rest. Those two good teams Szeged and Kielce come head to head in a match that could determine who tops the group. 

Just to save you the bother of having to research the result, they met earlier in the season in what could only be described as a "goal-fest", Kielce coming out on top in a 37:32 win. But for a long time in that game Szeged matched them and caused them a lot of problems. 

We have an old saying:
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog"

Szeged have shown that fight last season in the EHF Cup and also this season in a match they could have lost at home to the Zappers. As Tony d'Amato might have said:

"On any given Saturday, you can win or lose. The point is can you win or lose like a man.

Plenty in common

Here in the the Városi Sportcsarnok, which sounds very grand, but in English just means "The Municipal Sports Centre" Szeged are a very different proposition. Shaped liked a Colosseum the noise that 3,000+ can make is akin to ten thousand.

Here you can see the whites of the fans eyes as they sit almost atop the court. Kielce will have to stand up like men to face the fervent fanaticism of the Szeged fan. Their victory in this arena is far from assured and Szeged have brought many a team to their knees in this, their home court.

There is just a brilliant feeling about the place and on match days, it is the equivalent of an eighth and ninth man. Just watch the home game with the “Zappers” and see the incredible comeback, and we know that Kielce haven’t been at their best on the road. A difficult game against USDK and a narrow win against Aalborg is testament to that.

The two teams have a lot in common. Sure Kielce have the big names and the big stars, but Szeged is also building a team that might just be containing some stars of the future. Both are sponsored by power companies, both teams sport famous headbands with Cupic and Bombac and both have Spanish coaches.

In fact, lest we forget that once upon a time there was a team called Ciudad Real, there are no less than six personages who were once linked to that famous club. I had counted five, but my great friend "Panzer" Björn Pazen pointed out that Sierra once played for them.

He is an interesting player in regards to what is happening at Szeged. Is there any more improved player? In fact, is he the same man that stood between the posts last year at PSG. It just shows what a little love from the coach will do for a player’s confidence.

For Kielce we have the coach Talant, Aguinagalde and Zorman. For Szeged, Parrando and Källman. The result of these latter players is that Szeged play a similar style of defence to Kielce. Old habits die hard and Källman is regularly seen playing high in a 5-1 or one on one on the danger man. Added to that the Spanish style centre players Zorman, Mindegia and Bombac and you have a real Iberian influence to the game.

Top dogs against underdogs

I was quite harsh in my criticism of the defence in last week's match, but these two teams have a plan, a concept and it is not strictly what you might expect. The result is that there might be lots of spaces, but the idea to put the passer under pressure, to win a ball gives these two defences another dimension.

It leads to a defence being artistic, along with the attack. And it adds to counter attack goals. Kielce's version might just be a step ahead of the Hungarians with Strlek, but expect Källman to give him a run for his money.

Another altered quote from "Any Given Sunday"
"In Handball, you have offence and defence. You can't have one without the other. Respect will be paid."

And respect should be paid to the way these teams and these coaches approach the "Art" of defending. It is as pretty to watch as the most subtle attack. Sure it doesn't always work, but it gives pleasure to the senses and brings the game from the dourness of "non-defending" or the crassness of "thou shalt not pass" defending, of which there is too much in handball nowadays.

In attack Zorman and Tkaczyk look super fit and both are playing superbly. The latter looked so poor in recent seasons that this recovery is nothing short of miraculous. Mindegia and Bombac themselves are great playmakers albeit they have yet to fully prove themselves at the highest level. These four players can run a game, pull defences hither and yon and breakthrough the smallest gap. We are in for a treat to watch them, along with some power-house back court play.

This promises to be a great match, between teams of great quality. How high that quality is is difficult to determine because of the group they are in. Kielce are top dogs and Szeged underdogs. To determine that the latter will lose this fight might be a little previous.

Just remember that famous story from The Book of Samuel and we all know how that one turned out.