Intro
Ciao and welcome back! This is Handball Talking, I am Sergio, and in a Champions League round 4 full of goals (4 teams scored 40 goals and Kiel lost although scored 37!) I decided to analyse the tight win that keeps Veszprem first in group A with eight points out of eight.
Enjoy your read! And if you like what you read, please send it to some friends.
The Game
Odense, 05/10/2022 | Machineseeker Champions League – Group A – 4th round
GOG – Telekom Veszprem 30-31
When you watch a game like GOG – Veszprem, you can find reasons why you love Handball. It was not a game for the ages, it was simply Handball: goals, saves, mistakes, strategy and tactics, single player’s ability to impact the match. It was enjoyable. The way Veszprem’s players celebrated at the end of the game witnesses the beauty of this match: it was hard and they win, away.
It’s impossible to explain the result of this match in a sentence. I think there was at least four mini-games in the 60’.
GOG started brilliantly counterattacking: first 5 goals come from this moment of the game, 9 of their 13 goals scored in counterattack was in the first half. Danes ran very well with their first wave players, covered width and depth with backs, exploited late retreat by Veszprem. In the last clip of the video below, summarizing GOG’s counterattack, you can see coach Krickau inviting his players to run, with his hands. Veszprem’s beginning was a little bit tough: a slow and confused counterattack, but most of all referees called passive play 6 times in the first half, 5 in the first 20’: 3 of those solved by the genius of Kentin Mahé. The French has monopolized the game in the first 17’ of the match before got substituted: he scored 5 goals and his usage was 52%. It means he ended with a shot, advantage or lost balls one on two possessions of his team.
Both teams had 50% efficacy in positional attack and it’s curious to see how they applied the same game plan. Not considering the 1v1 play (there was the difference), they decided to alternate plays with pivot between the thirds and crosses with wing transitions and pivot between first and second defenders.
About the former, Veszprem waited inside 9m closing the centre, with very compact second defenders and GOG needed out of position shots, outside breakthroughs and to play return passes (I love them!) to overcome the defence. Instead, GOG had more depth, I think specially to prevent Ilic’s shots, and Veszprem was good to make them dance, with pivot able to gain advantage screening and sliding, even if he did not receive the ball.
The use of wing transition showed different characteristics of the teams. In the clip about GOG’s attack, you can appreciate the strategical details: perfect timing by Tollbring to allow Madsen to receive from Olsen; then, Jørgensen’s high position on Vailupau that transform a 3v3 into a 3v2. Veszprem, instead, relied on Nenadic – Nilsson cooperation on the left side and when GOG tried to avoid it, Veszprem scored on the left side anyway, exploiting GOG’s open defence.
The third mini game was between the two goalkeepers: Thulin and Corrales ended the match with the pretty same saves’ percentage. The difference was in the kind of shots. As you can see in the shot map above, GOG has three yellow circles in shot zone where it should have been more effective. We said about Veszprem’s close defence and they were good to arrive to 6m line: just they missed. Thulin saved 70% of 9m shots, it was not enough.
Fourth and last mini game was the one played in the last 6 minutes, 26-26 on the scoreboard: Momir Ilic opted for 7v6 and the couple Nenadic – Nilsson delivered. Individual decision making has been decisive: Morten Olsen scored three in a row with high-difficulty shots; Rasmus Lauge wasted a fastbreak shooting from 12 or more metres. So, the last minute: Olsen believes in referees’ whistle, it comes, but to say that he did too many steps and with 17” left, Ilic draw to a Lauge – Nilsson cooperation on Pytlick, but Nenadic decides to solve it a pass before. 30 – 31!
An Idea
In HandballTraining nr12/2021 there was an article entitled Auf Wiedersehen Walking-Handball. Using plays from Tokyo 2020, it certificates a high-tempo Handball era. It’s true that number of possessions is lowering, but not because teams don’t run. Teams learned to run every time is possible and to be careful of the ball stopping if there are no easy solutions. Then, there are substitutions and there is the usual long preparation of positional attack. So, it changes number of possessions and its composition: in some teams you can find more counterattack possessions than before.
Running well means easy goals and/or more efficient opportunities. Counterattack starts from defence, not only because it’s easier if you defend well; if opponents score you can counterattack via a fast throw-off. Counterattack starts from defence because it’s better that your best counterattackers stays always on the court. If you ask to an outdated handball man who is the best counterattacker, I guess he will answer “the wing”. However, if there is a correct answer, it should be “the centre back”. Watch the video below.
First clip was in 2014. A lot of teams, then, played with two defensive specialists, usually changing centre back and pivot. It was a very good strategical point: when you attack, your central defenders are on the bench, the backbone of your defence, they can talk each other and with the coach. When you defend, your centre back and pivot are on the bench, the backbone of your attack, they can talk each other and with the coach. But, if you have your Andi Schmid on the bench, it’s likely that your counterattack will not work (no offense, Stefan Kneer and Gedeon Guardiola!).
What happens in second clip? It’s 2020 and Andi Schmid is defending, while Uwe Gensheimer don’t (we will talk in one of the next issues about wings and fastbreaks). What happens in third clip? It’s still 2020 and Andi Schmid is defending and Uwe Gensheimer too.
Teams need its centre back on the court, thus there are two scenarios: defensive specialist comes in for the wing close to the bench; one of the wings can play nr2 or nr5 in defence.
Think about Paris Saint-Germain with Steins and Grebille, Kielce with Nahi and Karacic or Alex Dujshebaev, Veszprem with Mahé or Nenadic instead of the wing, Kiel with Magnus Landin and Zarabec.
And if the coach wants to talk with his centre back is close enough to do it while he his on the court.
This is not a Drill
Counterattack is a moment of the game not so easy to train with a lot of consecutive repetitions as you can do with positional attack or defence. You need full court and it’s physically demanding. But I want consecutive repetitions and I want also “repetition without repetition” in which players must follow the principles of play in different scenario. Now, I propose you a drill that follow this idea to give more repetitions, particularly to backs.
Drill starts with a 3v2 like a fast throw-off (blue centre back receives from goalkeeper on the left of the image). Then, the three blue backs attack their teammates on the other half court (they are always “triangles”, but I give them a different bib to not confuse anyone) in a 3v3. Lastly, triangles become a unique team and there is a 6v6 triangles vs circles, with 4 circles coming inside from both sides as they were defensive specialists.
This allows me to give 3 repetitions in a row to my backs before stop. You can decide to start over changing roles or to keep “reds” in defence for a while and then change roles.
It’s the methodology and not the drill that counts, so you can play this 3v0 – 3v3 – 6v6 or 3v0 – 3v2 – 3v3 or 4v2 – 4v2 – 6v6 (or 4v4). It’s up to your specific situation.
Outro
National Team Week is coming, EHF Euro 2024 Qualifiers and EHF Euro Cup starts, there will be a lot of interesting matches, lower ranked teams play against the best and this is the chance to steal points useful for the best 3rd teams ranking. We will see!
Write me if you have suggestions and advice. And spread the word about Talking Handball!
Read you soon,
Sergio
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