THE STATUS OF THE LEAGUE
Newcomer Constance, who lost 29:38 to the candidate for promotion ThSV Eisenach at the weekend and didn’t stand a chance, is just over the line in 17th place with 10:22 points. The Owls are seventh with 21:9 points. The previous six teams all played two more games. HBW Balingen-Weilstetten leads the table with 29:5 points. They are followed by ThSV Eisenach, Dessau-Roßlauer HV 06 and TuS N-Lübbecke with 23:11 points each, ahead of HSG Nordhorn-Lingen (22:12) and SG BBM Bietigheim (21:13). With a win against Konstanz, the owls would move up to second place. The game in the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle will be led by Marvin Cesnik and Jonas Konrad from Gummersbach. SportDeutschland.TV broadcasts live. The reporter is Karsten Knäuper, flanked by Thorsten Laubscher, an expert with a heart who can be counted among the owl inventory.
LION ZACHARIAS IS AVAILABLE
The defeat on Sunday in Lingen has been processed in a targeted manner, the team’s eyes are quickly focused on Wednesday. “I was more annoyed after defeats,” said coach Michel Abt when asked about his disappointment at a really unnecessary defeat. The coach sees his failures mainly due to the very good goalkeeper Bart Ravensbergen, who made 22 saves and who also hit the orphaned Owl goal twice. “We defended very, very well,” praised Abt. The evaluation of chances was not good this time, Max Haider saw an early red, “Sebi” Trost was missing as a goalscorer and idea generator, six times aluminum stood in the way, five times the hosts hit the empty owls – Goal, three seven meters were awarded. “If we use the seven-meter throw at 10:20 p.m….”, Abt recalled after the Monday training session, which could have brought about the late turnaround if the team were twice as strong. With Lion Zacharias, another good seven-meter shooter is available on Wednesday.
QUESTION MARK BEHIND “SEBI” SOLUTION
“It’s a shame, it was unfortunate, but the league is so tight that anyone can really beat anyone. We should keep the ball flat after this defeat,” emphasizes Eulen coach Abt and puts a question mark over the use of the injured Sebastian Trost. “Constance is an opponent who invests a lot,” says Abt, who knows about the varied game of the guests. “We mustn’t let this one defeat deter us on our way and we want to continue our training in the same good mood,” demands the coach.
MICHEL ABT PRAISES ANDREJ KOGUTS WORK
Head coach Abt attributes the team’s greatly improved defensive performance primarily to the work of his assistant coach Andrej Kogut, who lives with his wife Lilly and little Maxim in der Melm in Oggersheim. Abt and Kogut have been working together since the beginning of the season – the team is considered a “dream duo”. Kogut, a Bundesliga professional for 17 years to date, returned to Friesenheim at the beginning of this season after seven years with TBV Lemgo-Lippe. From 2010 to 2015, the 34-year-old was the head of the owl defence. Parallel to his current assistant trainer position with the owls, the rehabilitation program at Sportomed in Mannheim is running after the knee surgery in the summer. “It’s very good, I’m making progress, but I have to admit that sometimes it really wears me out,” says former Junior World Champion Kogut.
DEFENSE IS KOGUTS THING
“The development of the team is of course great. When I think back to the beginning, we didn’t have a concept, nobody knew exactly where to start. There were so many things open…” says Andrej Kogut, who is happy to be able to assign a fixed area of responsibility. Kogut: “My job now is to concentrate a little more on defending. In the last four, five, in the last eight games, you can see improvements, progress, individually, but above all collectively,” said the assistant coach: “We’re still a long way from the end of development. But we don’t have as many stupid time penalties now, we defend cleanly, we’ve won the ball and we want to put our opponents in gifted throwing situations. At the front, that’s generally more Michel’s part. We rarely only play one thing at a time.” The varied game of Abts, being able to quickly switch from plan A to plan B or even to C requires game intelligence.
“HARD FOR THE HEAD”
“I’m really happy with our team of coaches,” says Eulen’s managing director Lisa Hessler enthusiastically about the productive and harmonious cooperation between Abt and Kogut. “For me it’s great that Michel trusts me,” says Andrej Kogut, who “likes to edit the games”. “Defensive work means never turning off your head. Defending is a lot of thinking,” the assistant coach philosophizes before the last two home games of the year, when the hard work is to bring in the harvest. Two more 60 minutes, which should be won with passion and emotion, with concentration and determination. Then you can really enjoy the days off, says Kogut. In view of the role of favourites, which results from the table constellation, he knows how to approach the danger of a game too loosely. So Kogut admonishes and warns from his own experience: “The last two games are very difficult for the head!”
Those: Owls Ludwigshafen / Photo: HC Empor Rostock
