22.03.2007, 12:00
No Time to Rest for Flensburg

The German team hosts Valladolid in the semi-final. Coach Andersson calls the attention to Chema, Muratovic (pictured) and Gull.

No Time to Rest for Flensburg

There are still six teams in the German Bundesliga that wish to take part in the next year’s Champions League. Two of these teams have another choice. In case THW Kiel or SG Flensburg-Handewitt would win the Champions League, they would also qualify for next year and increase the number of the German squads.

“We don’t even want to talk about it yet,” Kent-Harry Andersson comments it. “The next two weekends will be played for the final, and I expect two very close encounters.”

Andersson analyses the Spanish team

The Swedish coach has been busy with quite different things recently. The second wave of the Spanish attack is dangerous with the playmaker Chema Rodriguez who keeps everything under control.

“He always makes the right decisions,” acknowledges Kent-Harry Andersson. It is also interesting that they have a 6:0 defence with the two-meter tall Ruben Garabaya and Asier Antonio in the middle.

The two backcourt players, Alen Muratovic and Eric Gull, are really special. They always sit down on the bench after attacks.

“The two players have a lot of rest and they can keep the opponent’s defence under pressur,” analyses Kent-Harry Andersson. “On the other hand, we must make use of the regular two substitutions.”

Still some injuries

The 57-year old trainer was happy to have a good week of training after the Northern derby. Flensburg could not get rid of the problems with the injuries. Jan Holpert and Blazenko Lackovic could not take part in all the training sessions, just as Sören Stryger and Joachim Boldsen.

Roumor has it that the two Danes only rested in Hamburg before the upcoming Champions League matches. Kent-Harry Andersson argues with this: “They could really not play”.

The Swedish coach hopes that he can count on all his players on Friday in the sold out Campushalle in order to reach a promising result for the second leg. The dream of the Germans is to reach the Champions League final again after 2004.

TEXT: Jan Kirschner