Dutch rely on Lois Abbingh’s trademark sharpshooting
When Lois Abbingh arrived at the Dutch team camp last week, the left back realised that she was suddenly among the oldest players in coach Helle Thomsen’s squad for the EHF EURO 2018.
Some of the experienced regulars who helped shape the face of Dutch women’s handball in recent years will be missing in France. Yvette Broch (retired), Danick Snelder (injured) and Maura Visser (personal reasons) are the most notable absentees, forcing Thomsen to experiment with a handful of young talents.
For four youngsters - Delaila Amega, Rinka Duijndam (both 21 years old), Merel Freriks (20) and Dione Housheer (19) - the EHF EURO will be their maiden championship.
“We have a few girls who play their first EURO, it creates a different dynamic,” said Abbingh, who, at 26, is one of the veteran members of the Dutch team.
Abbingh herself was only 18 when she first wore the ‘Oranje’ jersey in 2010. At that time, she had just joined VfL Oldenburg in the German Bundesliga. Later she moved to Romania (HCM Baia Mare) and France (Issy Paris Hand) before signing with Rostov-Don this summer, becoming the first Dutch player in the Russian league.
“I am feeling well. At Rostov, I'm playing almost 60 minutes in every Champions League game,” said Abbingh, who has acted as a centre back recently after teammates got injured. “I have further developed as a player, also defensively. I can help the Dutch team there as well.”
Still, it will mainly be Abbingh’s trademark sharpshooting which will benefit the Dutch team. A year ago, she netted 58 times to become the second-best scorer at the World Championship, having a massive impact on the Dutch run to third place.
“I would be glad if things go as well as last year,” she said. “But above all, I am looking forward to the tournament, I want to fully enjoy it, I will do everything I can to play well again.”
Living from match to match
The Netherlands reached the semi-final in each of their last four major events, winning two silver medals (World Championship 2015, EHF EURO 2016) and a bronze (World Championship 2017), while finishing fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games.
But can they keep their series running? In particular, the absence of their two outstanding line players, Broch and Snelder, has dealt a blow to the team. In their only warm-up game ahead of the EHF EURO 2018, against Angola last Wednesday, it was clear that coach Thomsen was still searching for a solution.
Nikita van der Vliet, who was top scorer and all-star line player at the Youth World Championship in Poland this summer, got some playing time during the 32:29 win over the African champions, but the 18-year-old prospect has since been dropped by Thomsen.
It leaves young Freriks as the only true line player in the squad. But others, like left back Kelly Dulfer, are expected to get playing time on the line as well.
“Some other teams are also missing key players,” Abbingh said. “In the end, it is all about getting a joined-up feeling within the team. Last year we were not all that good but we managed to get the bronze. We have to live from match to match, and be able to say after each match: ‘We couldn’t have done more.’”
With Abbingh and the likes of goalkeeper Tess Wester, centre back Nycke Groot and left back Estavana Polman, the Netherlands still boast world class quality throughout their team. They open their EHF EURO 2018 campaign against Hungary on Saturday, followed by matches against Spain and Croatia.
“The EURO is incredibly strong. We cannot say: ‘Oh, we will get to the next round for sure!’ This group is very open,” Abbingh said. “I think that many teams have been rejuvenated in recent years, so they all have a few players who are still somewhat unexperienced.”
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Eric Willemsen/jh