Mannheim (dpa / lsw) - The new coach Sebastian Hinze has sworn the Rhein-Neckar Löwen on a long way back to the top group of the handball Bundesliga. "We will need three to five years," Hinze said in an interview with "Mannheimer Morgen" (Tuesday). The North Badeners only finished tenth last season and continued their descent after the club had become German champions in 2016 and 2017.
The competition from "Magdeburg, Kiel, Flensburg and Berlin" has now "first rushed" and something new has to be built in Mannheim, says Hinze. "We're not in the top four, which doesn't mean we can't end up there. But then that would be a slip up. It's clear that we want to get closer to the top clubs," said the 43-year-old and qualified: " Realistically, we're one of the clubs in the fifth to tenth place."
Hinze switched from Bergisches HC to the Löwen this summer. In the first league game with his new club on September 3, he meets MT Melsungen.
