Coaches’ corner: Four approaches, four ways to the trophy

All four teams have lost at least three games this season. In fact, Aalborg lost four, as the Danish side were defeated three times in the group phase and in the first-leg quarter-finals in Veszprém (31:32).

But here we are in Cologne, where the schedule is a completely different one — and the approach will be too.

For Kiel, things are different from what the club have experienced in the past. Whereas the “Zebras” arrived at LANXESS arena as firm favourites to win the trophy at the end of some seasons, the 2023/24 edition of the EHF FINAL4 is a little different.

“For sure, the club has sometimes been in a different position. Maybe we are the underdogs, maybe we are just a little bit less favourites than what we have been,” agrees coach Filip Jicha. But what can he do so his players still enter the court oozing confidence?

“We will have the possibility to perform, and we have to use this possibility 100 per cent. We have lacked consistency this season, but we have also been able to beat all the best teams in Europe, like Paris or Kielce. Over the course of two games, I’m convinced we have the assets to win.”

The perspective is somehow different for SC Magdeburg and Bennet Wiegert. Last year, the German side landed in Cologne as something of the surprise package, as they had reached the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 for the first time ever in their comeback season in the EHF Champions League. But now that they have lifted the trophy, can the boys in green and red do it again?

“On one hand, we know what it takes to win the trophy. We have had this positive experience last season and, since the team has not changed much, we can use it for sure,” says the Magdeburg coach, who also won the trophy with the club as a player, in 2002. “But everyone will not be waiting for us. Everybody is hoping for us to repeat that, but the fact that only one club managed to win back-to-back in 15 years tells you how hard it is.”

The club that did achieve the back-to-back victory in Cologne was Barça, as the Spanish side lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2022. The first was with Xavi Pascual on the bench, while the second was with current coach Carlos Ortega. “One of the best memories of my life,” smiles the Spanish coach, as his team prepares to take on THW Kiel in what has become a modern classic in handball.

“I know what it takes to win, how much work and dedication you have to put into it, but also that the EHF FINAL4 is disconnected from the rest of the season. No matter who you have beaten during the group phase, Cologne is going to be completely different,” he says. “You can’t change everything that has been working but you have to come up with something new to surprise your opponents.”

That means that Barça, of course, will be relying on Dika Mem in their effort to lift the trophy, as the French right back has been almost unstoppable throughout the season. “It’s impossible to lock him down, especially if he has had a good night the night before and has eaten well. But we will try to lock him down as much as possible,” says Jicha.

Barça will also rely on their Cologne experience, as the Spanish side have not missed an edition of the EHF FINAL4 since 2018.

On the other hand, Aalborg are only on their second visit to LANXESS arena, after reaching the final in 2021. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, and, notably, the Danish side signed experienced players like Niklas Landin and Mikkel Hansen.

“For sure, we are not the same club and the same team as we were then. We took a lot of things from 2021 to improve even more. While three years ago our presence here might have been a surprise, this time we are real contenders for the final,” says coach Stefan Madsen, who will leave the club at the end of the season.

Madsen is the only one of the four coaches yet to take the coveted title, with Ortega, Jicha and Wiegert all having won as both players and coaches. Will we see a first-time celebration for Madsen, or will experience doing it prove the key? On Saturday, we take the first step in finding out, as the semi-finals await.