Gold in EC for men.
Silver I U18-EM.
Fourth place in the U20 EC.
Sweden is at the top of the world in handball to stay – for a long time.
Next week, the rain will move over Scandinavia.
But there is no reason for that Glenn Solberg Taking off sunglasses at home in Norway for Swedish men’s handball indicates a bright, if not dazzling, future.
It has been said, among other things in this column, that the 2000s with players such as Erik Johansson, Valter Krentz, Isaac Persson, Fabian Norsten and Kasper Kell are the most talented generation in Swedish handball since 82/83 with Kim Andersson. and Jonas Larholm and Frederick Petersen. Garbage 00 also won the U18 EC title four years ago.
But it turns out it was over 00 booze.
Team 02 reached the semi-finals of the European Under-20 Championship in July without their key player and biggest talent – Elliot Steinalm (Kelsey is said to have stopped them most from injury). In this team we find players like Felix Muller (EC gold medalist last winter), Alexander Linden and Kelvin Roberts (both on the star team at U20 EC), Adam Ljungqvist and Kasper Palmar.
Tonight, the 5/4s final is played at U18 EC. Spain, the ultimate opponent, had gone through the tournament unbeaten and unchallenged. Sweden became the first team to properly press the Spaniards since they were late, as usual in this tournament, but they once again showed tremendous morale and came back in the end. Sweden had an excellent position from the right wing to equalize 1.5 minutes on the left, but had to surrender in the end with a score of 32-34.
This means that in the three European Championships held in 2022 on the men’s side, Sweden took gold (men), silver (under 18) and fourth (under 20).
Swedish men’s handball is the best in the world.
Sweden’s version of the small middle nine that’s trending now
Axel Munsson, who left Lödde club this summer for Lugi, is the true breakout talent for the youngest national team. Mitnian is fifth, and therefore a year younger, which allows you to be in this European championship. He’s also the shortest on the team, but he’s definitely not the shortest on the team. The genius of the game with impressive technology not only controls the game and helps his teammates in all possible places. He is also an unparalleled goalscorer – 54 goals in 7 matches. Månsson scored 13 goals in the final and was named the top nine in the middle of the entire tournament. Here, Sweden has its own version of the small middle nine who have “trended” in top handball in recent years: Luke Steins at PSG/Netherlands, Luka Sendrić at Croatia/Barcelona, Tobias Grundal at Elverum/Norway and Miha Zarabic at Kiel/Slovenia .
But this Swedish national team is not a “single show” like the Faroe Islands (yes, the Faroe Islands and Sävehof’s Ally Mitton were of course the best player in the European Championship). Instead, it was team breadth that took the team away in EC, making it possible to turn match after match with the knife in the throat. In the semi-finals, for example, there were twelve different scorers.
But in the final, it was the nine-meter trio that managed to feat, and it was the nine-meter players who stood out in this team:
Månsson, of course.
Pelle Segertoft – All-round captain and nine-left-handed Önnered named as the best defender in the European Championship.
Linus Gustavsson – Right hand from Skövde by Lagergren / Sandell cut.
Plus two of the 05’s that have been talked about a lot in recent years, along with Månsson, but have had smaller and smaller roles in this tournament: bowlers Arvid Boquist of Enköping (nine left) and Elias Lundstad of Önnered (nine right).
Spain is more impressive
The recipe for success in the European Commission was recognized by the men’s national team: a group thriving together and fighting for each other, strong morale and belief in the idea of the game, handball pace (but in the final it was also slower for a tired group), excellent ball shooting, long streak From playing, instead of goals from six meters by nine meters and a good display in the game.
Now it will be very exciting to see these talents in the Handball League, not least Monson and Lundestad 05s, who will start playing adult-only handball this fall. Boquist will stay at Enköping for another season, but all the big clubs in Sweden are chasing him.
***
If Sweden is on top of the world to survive – what does it say about Spain?
The Spaniards underwent a generational change after the Olympics in Tokyo, but went to the European Championship final in January. They then went on to become the first country ever to win the European Under-18 Championship and the European Under-20 Championship in the same summer.
***
Great start to the season for Bjorn Satterström to take this team to the EC Final.
Now awaits the new job as head coach at HK Malmö – coming out of the ashes in the fire, so to speak.