Ystads IF wraps up the Swedish season as the worthy winners after 30 years of waiting.
Makes me yearn for the next now.
They had it all: the history, the tradition, the interest, the arena, the money, the team, the coach, the stars, the talent, the signings.
Everything but gold in 30 years.
Or even one last place for the same length of time.
Because they weren’t winners, Ystads IF.
That’s what it’s been called, by me and many others, about Swedish handball.
break barrier
The stated goal for a decade was the top four, the unstated goal being Sweden’s gold.
Kim Anderson himself admitted this when I sat with him during a long lunch in the center of Ystad before the final series.
Synopsis: Four semi-finals, four quarter-finals and negative playoffs in the past 10 years (including a playoff canceled during the pandemic). The last semi-final was in 2017.
You don’t have to average a semifinalist over time, Oscar Carlin said in our podcast early in the qualifiers this year.
So, I didn’t believe in YIF this year either, not even in the quarter-finals, but I expected they would really smoke against Malmö at that time.
Instead, these enduring toppers now stand with SM dent, which should soon be renamed the Bengt Johansson Cup, as well-deserved winners.
In the quarter-finals, they beat Malmö 3-1 in the quarter-final which almost everyone thought would be a small and exciting island in five matches.
In the semi-finals, they defeated the defending champion, series winners, cup winners, and gold big favorite Sävehof 3-1.
In the final, they beat the team that looked the strongest in the playoffs and chased after their first-ever gold, Skövde, 3-1.
This short review makes it sound like Ystads IF has been underdog and gold is going to be a buzz. But this is not the case, of course. If you have YIF resources and come from the Swedish handball mecca, you will never be a real underdog.
Only the loser character means that Ystads IF has not been presented as the definitive definitive favorite year after year.
Now they are finally here as winners and they have clearly broken the barrier.
The three behind the turns
This golden build actually started last season when Oscar Carlin took over as Technical Director. Had it not been for the injuries to the goalkeepers before the qualifiers, YIF would have already broken the last barrier a year ago (but it wasn’t difficult for that version of Sävehof).
Now the detail-controlled Karlin, who was cited as the single most important factor by the YIFs themselves and there’s no reason to doubt it, has been given another year with the team.
Along with the players and management staff, Carlin has had this season, and now it’s as ambiguous as when you have to explain the mental mechanics behind success succinctly, laying out roles in the team, and with the help of clarity from the coach. aspect, create security and belief in what you do.
Several players can attest to this and we can only look at the match ups and downs of this year’s qualifiers, which were pretty rare before:
Quarter-finals against Malmö: He returned immediately after overtaking in the second match (30-39) and won twice in a row.
Semi-final against Sävehof: Eliminated in match three and at a disadvantage with 17-11 at the start of the second in match four. He turned around and won the match 29-26.
Final vs Skövde: He lost the victory in the second match one second before normal time and then clearly lost overtime. Then he lost five goals a little in the second half of the third game, but he turned around and won four balls.
This would not have been possible without the three elements: clarity, security, and faith.
Two big competitors next year
It was the first time since 2007 that Sävehof, Kristianstad or Alingsås did not participate in the final and for the first time since 2014, a team other than Sävehof or Kristianstad won the gold medal.
Is this the beginning of the gold dynasty for Ystads IF?
It looks like you can definitely keep all the players you want, which is unusual for a big team in it handball league who usually lose one or two of their best players each year abroad. Perhaps you can recruit another left winger if Philip Steinmalm doesn’t shrug his shoulders and you will be marked as one of the top candidates next year.
You also have talents and conditions.
Yes, like I said, you basically have everything in place.
But for some reason I still find it hard to see YIF dominate as Hammarby, Safhof and Kristianstad did at stints during the 2000s.
Perhaps because there are strong competitors, above all …
… Sävehof, of course, who until the spring finals seemed to have built a new golden era with two consecutive golds (no 2020 finals as I said), new league winners, Gold Cup and fantastic efforts in the Europa League. The big club will be looking well for revenge next season.
… and IFK Kristianstad, who according to their two-year plan will move from an outside candidate to a gold candidate next season. But in that plan was Jonas Wylie and now it looks like Kristianstad will have to find a new coach in no time when Will is likely to take over the Norwegian national team.
What happens to IFK Skövde when the main trio Helt Jepsen – Beck Hansen – Thurin disappears? Was this the last chance for the club that did not win the Swedish championship? Or has sporting director Ulf Nystrom found himself on the recruiting front again? Will new talent take the next step next year? Can Henrik Signell create a new Ultimate Team in just one season?
What direction is Malmö and Alingsous going? Can they get back into the top four or will they have to fight to go to the playoffs?
Will Hammarby’s rise continue?
Can Lugi, Hallby, Önnered and/or Redbergslid establish themselves in a higher position with their new coaches?
Should OV Helsingborg finally establish himself in the Handball League or will he continue to go for the inter-series yo-yo?
Will Aranas remain?
So many questions that keep me looking forward to the upcoming season of the Handball League.
I’ve said it before and I’ll do it again: Oscar Karelin is the future captain of the national team. The question is probably who will be first – he or Michael Applegreen?
Dalibor Dodder turned 43 on Tuesday. During his final (?) season in the high-profile, 24 years after making his debut in the old elite series in 1998, he finally won the gold medal. He’s good at that.