25.09.2015, 11:40
A venture full of questions

BLOG: Tom poses many interesting questions ahead of his trip to Hungary after a huge change to the Veszprem set-up

A venture full of questions

Have you ever sat in the doctor’s surgery with a pain in your stomach wondering if this is the day you hear the really bad news?

The internet tells you that if the pain is in the lower left abdomen, then you’re in really bad trouble.

After five minutes with the doctor, he tells you you’re too old to be eating takeaway after midnight.

Going to Veszprem this Saturday is a bit like that. No one quite knows what’s in store.

The gossip mill is rife about different things and I’m just wondering what the atmosphere will be like.

Not among the fans, I might add, as they just want to support their team, but around the place. Losing a coach leaves a vacuum, whether you’re in favour of it or not. There will be a sense of displeasure among certain sections of course.

Laszlo himself said that it was his lowest day. He knew Carlos as teammate and coach. He was one of the biggest reasons that Ortega initially got the job.

Then spare a thought for Xavi Sabate on the bench. It’s his job, but he has been a loyal assistant to Carlos for many moons.

What style will they play? Who will be the overriding voice? The questions are endless.

Flensburg goes to Hungary on the crest of a VELUX Champions League wave. They tore PSG to shreds.

The only downside was a serious knee injury to Zachariasson. But we don’t know what to expect from them either.

Their league form has been patchy, but the potential for this team to gel is immense. If they hit the right note, they could explode (in a positive way) on Saturday, and then the decision to dismiss Ortega might come back to haunt Veszprem.

Vranjes to his credit loves the Champions League. He excels there.

Maybe it’s the style of different cultures colliding, but in this competition, we always see the best of his team.

Their counter-attacking style is a great foil for the 6-0 of Veszprem which is difficult to break down. They, on the other hand, have a great and swift counter-attack of their own.

You would imagine that Sabate will keep the philosophy for Saturday, but who knows. Whose voice will be loudest? Will the team listen or will the old pros take it upon themselves to marshal each other.

There’s no doubt, the new format gives no rest. Last season, you could dismiss a coach and rely upon having a few easy games - no more!

I might just take a visit to the doctors tomorrow and make sure that pain is nothing serious.

TEXT: Tom O'Brannagain, ehfTV commentator