The German national handball team is relying on "experience, potential and essentially a certain continuity" at the World Cup in January. The squad has some hardships in store, but no exciting surprises.
National coach Alfred Gislason is relying on a mixture of experienced and young players at the 2023 Handball World Cup. With goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, Rune Dahmke, Simon Ernst, Kai Häfner and Jannik Kohlbacher, the 63-year-old Icelander called up five European champions from 2016 in the 18-strong squad for the finals from January 11th to 29th in Poland and Sweden.
"This squad reflects many characteristics: experience, potential and essentially a certain continuity that is essential for success," said DHB sports director Axel Kromer. The squad is led by Captain Johannes Golla. The oldest and most experienced player is Patrick Groetzki. The 33-year-old right winger from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen has played 156 international matches so far. At 22, his club colleague Juri Knorr is the youngest player in the German World Cup squad. Knorr was still missing at the European Championships in January because he had refused the corona vaccination that was mandatory for participation.
Julius Kühn, Marcel Schiller and Lukas Stutzke, who were injured for a long time, are not there. Also goalkeeper veteran Silvio Heinevetter was not considered. Joel Birlehm (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) will form the goalkeeper team with Wolff seeded as number one. "There were some difficult and very close decisions, but now we have clarity. I'm looking forward to the new year and the new challenge with this team," said Gislason, who had previously announced "two or three cases of hardship". The DHB selection meets in the final round in the preliminary round group E on Asian champions Qatar, Serbia and Algeria.
The DHB squad for the 2023 World Cup in Poland and Sweden:
Goal: Andreas Wolff (VIVE Lomza Kielce/POL), Joel Birlehm (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) Left winger: Lukas Mertens (SC Magdeburg), Rune Dahmke (THW Kiel) Backspace left: Paul Drux (Füchse Berlin), Philipp Weber (SC Magdeburg ), Julian Köster (VfL Gummersbach) back room middle: Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Luca Witzke (SC DHfK Leipzig), Simon Ernst (SC DHfK Leipzig) back room right: Kai Häfner (MT Melsungen), Djibril M'Bengue ( Bergischer HC), Christoph Steinert (HC Erlangen) Right wing: Patrick Groetzki (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Lukas Zerbe (TBV Lemgo Lippe) Circle: Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Jannik Kohlbacher (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Tim Zechel (HC Erlangen)
