For around two years, THW Kiel has been falling far short of its own demands. In the handball Bundesliga, the Zebras have now slipped into midfield. These are the reasons for the German record champions’ crash.
After THW Kiel only ended up in fourth place in the HBL table last season, 15 points behind champions SC Magdeburg and thus clearly missed out on Champions League qualification, the North Germans were still considered one of the favorites at the start of the new season on the title.
After ten match days, one thing remains clear: THW Kiel is only mediocre.
With 12:8 points, Kiel is only in a disappointing ninth place in the table. Leader MT Melsungen is already six points missing.
Especially after the clear 33:37 defeat in the derby against SG Flensburg-Handewitt, disillusionment has set in at THW. They also clearly lost the other top games against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen (27:32), against MT Melsungen (21:25) and against the Füchse Berlin (26:35).
Kiel was only able to convince with a 29:24 win against SC Magdeburg.
Dangerous addiction to Duvnjak
What THW Kiel is particularly missing this season is consistency. “It’s unbelievable, we win against Magdeburg and lose at home against Melsungen and Flensburg. We don’t have the consistency. That was our problem last season too,” said playmaker Domagoj Duvnjak at “Sport Bild”.
Despite his 36 years, the Croatian international is still the lynchpin for the Zebras. A dangerous relationship of dependency with which the club is taking a high risk.
After all, Duvnjak is often injured, but still drags himself around the pitch. But even the veteran can no longer deliver top performances over 60 minutes. “In the end, he lost his strength,” explained coach Filip Jicha after the defeat against Flensburg, in which Duvnjak was Kiel’s best thrower with six goals together with Emil Madsen.
The dependence on Duvnjak highlights another problem for the THW: the change has not yet been successfully completed.
The change at THW Kiel has not yet been completed
With Emil Madsen and Bence Imre, THW Kiel signed two young, promising players with international experience in the summer. The handball Bundesliga is new territory for the duo.
The North Germans are simply not well positioned across the board. Why else wouldn’t you give a 36-year-old, ailing Duvnjak a break? In the home game against Flensburg it was different for the guests. The SG was able to substitute two players, Benjamin Buric and Lasse Möller, who played a major role in the victory.
Kiel’s counter-attack statistics show that it’s not just Duvnjak who is struggling. Only 14 goals were scored in ten games. For comparison: Flensburg scored 44 goals per counterattack.
“Domination of the past is gone”
Due to the high strain on the players, the risk of injury is also greater. The people of Kiel felt this at the start of the season. In the meantime, coach Jicha had to do without goalkeeper Tomas Mrkva and the four backcourt players Harald Reinkind, Mykola Bilyk, Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu and Karl Wallinius.
What makes things even more difficult for THW Kiel is that the other teams are getting stronger and stronger. There is currently no absolute top team in the HBL. There are just six points between first and ninth place.
At THW Kiel, self-image has also suffered this season. “We now have to take full action. We really have to invest everything we have,” said Rune Dahmke after the Flensburg bankruptcy.
The national player added: “We can’t play things down casually. You have to say very clearly that the dominance of the past is gone and we have to work hard for everything. That takes a lot of energy. You also notice that at some point Sometimes the tank is empty, but there’s no other way.”
Nobody in Kiel wants to think about the championship, even if they haven’t written off the title yet. “It’s going to be brutally difficult. We have eight minus points. That’s far too much at this point in the Bundesliga. However, the Bundesliga has never been so close,” emphasized Duvnjak.
Source: www.sport.de
