The Handball Bundesliga starts again on Thursday. Before the season opener, HBL icon Christian Zeitz painted a gloomy scenario for THW Kiel.
“I think it won’t be enough for the championship this time either. I see Flensburg as one of the favorites,” said Zeitz in an interview with the portal “handball-world.news”.
THW Kiel’s goal must be to reach the Champions League. “That will be difficult enough if only two German teams make it through the table again,” noted the ex-professional.
Zeitz described the departures of Niclas Ekberg and Steffen Weinhold as a “big loss”. “Steffen in particular has been a rock in defence on the right side over the past few years. And Niclas has also gotten better and better and has recently been responsible for many ball wins,” said the 43-year-old.
The fact that Harald Reinkind will also be out for a longer period of time could prove to be a problem for the THW. “The right back could be the weak point,” Zeitz speculated.
Zeitz sees a lot of potential in new signing Emil Madsen. “He is a young player who, with his carefree attitude, like Juri Knorr at the beginning or Renars Uscins now, can certainly bring a lot of joy. If he keeps his head clear. But it remains to be seen whether he can compensate for the loss of a pure child on his own, perhaps with homegrown Henri Pabst,” noted the 2007 world champion.
Zeitz also expressed doubts about national player Lukas Zerbe, who came to THW Kiel from TBV Lemgo: “Lukas Zerbe is a good player. We’ll have to wait and see whether he has or will have the world class that Kiel needs.”
Zeitz warns THW Kiel: “This can become a problem”
However, Zeitz sees new signing Andreas Wolff as the perfect goalkeeper for the Zebras. “The support in goal wasn’t always so great last season, but that is exactly what is becoming more and more important these days. Wolff definitely has the caliber that the THW needs in goal,” emphasised the left-hander.
Zeitz, however, also warned of “the other side of the coin”: the great competition in Kiel’s goal. “When Tomás Mrkva gets fit again in the autumn, there will be three keepers at the start: him, Wolff and Samir Bellahcene. That could become a problem,” analyzed the former backcourt player.
Source: www.sport.de
