Monday, October 25, 2021
A quarter of the squad debuts
DHB team gets completely new faces
Germany’s national handball team is in a state of upheaval, national coach Alfred Gislason is starting the EM season with a newly formed squad. Gensheimer & Co. are history, instead there are many newcomers. And a returnee after three cruciate ligament ruptures.
The German handball players start the EM season with a completely renewed team. For the upcoming week of training, including two international matches against Portugal (November 5 and 7), national coach Alfred Gislason called five debutants into his 19-man squad for the first games since the quarter-finals in Tokyo.
Uwe Gensheimer and Steffen Weinhold, who resigned after the Olympic Games, and Hendrik Pekeler and Johannes Bitter, who were on hold, are not there. The two keepers Silvio Heinevetter and Andreas Wolff, who works in Kielce, Poland, were not nominated. The course days are not part of the international handball calendar.
Gate: Joel Birlehm (SC DHfK Leipzig), Till Klimpke (HSG Wetzlar)
Field: Marcel Schiller (Frisch Auf Göppingen), Lukas Mertens (SC Magdeburg), Sebastian Heymann (Frisch Auf Göppingen), Paul Drux (Füchse Berlin), Hendrik Wagner (Eulen Ludwigshafen), Philipp Weber (SC Magdeburg), Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Luca Witzke (SC DHfK Leipzig), Julian Köster (VfL Gummersbach), Simon Ernst (SC DHfK Leipzig), Fabian Wiede (Füchse Berlin), David Schmidt (Bergischer HC), Timo Kastening (MT Melsungen), Lukas Zerbe ( TBV Lemgo), Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Jannik Kohlbacher (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Patrick Wiencek (THW Kiel)
“Perhaps this lineup will surprise outsiders – for us the nomination is only logical. This squad reflects current capabilities and perspectives,” said Gislason. “We want to be more broad, create new competition and be more flexible in our selection. I’m really looking forward to working with this team.”
Ernst returns after three cruciate ligament tears
There are five players ahead of their first international match in the coming week. Middle man Julian Köster (Gummersbach), left winger Lukas Mertens (Magdeburg) and goalkeeper Joel Birlehm (Leipzig) have already played in the DHB’s junior teams. In addition, right winger Lukas Zerbe (Lemgo), nephew of DHB legend Volker Zerbe, and back space player Hendrik Wagner from the Eulen Ludwigshafen could celebrate their DHB premiere. Meanwhile, middle man Simon Ernst, who is now playing in Leipzig, is making a new attempt in the national team. The 2016 European champion fought his way back after tearing three cruciate ligaments.
The course, which begins on November 1st and ends with handball day on November 7th in Düsseldorf, already serves to prepare for the 2022 European Championship January), Austria (January 16) and Poland (January 18). The first two teams advance to the second phase of the tournament.
DHB sports director Axel Kromer emphasized the will to change. “Alfred has consistently nominated players who we expect to be able to play central roles at the upcoming European Championship,” said Kromer. “The compilation of the EM squad will include the impressions of the coming course, but of course also the performances in the club games in the coming weeks. All doors will continue to be open in both directions.”