PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Close matches, tough opponents.
Then the breadth of Sweden’s EC squad becomes an extra important weapon.
– We know that everyone is very good and we trust everyone. I think the players feel that, that we have a damn security, says union captain Glenn Solberg.
In less than a week, the national handball team will play four matches in the intermediate round. Tonight, Slovenia awaits in Hamburg, where Sweden later also faces Denmark, Portugal and Norway.
Coat of arms of Sweden
And the question is whether Sweden has ever been able to field a championship squad with such breadth. That as many as 14 out of 18 players are in Champions League clubs on a daily basis is just a measure of the enormous knowledge base that exists in Blågult.
– Look at the team and the clubs we play in – it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s crazy fun to be in such a team and I feel like I’m developing all the time. You get some input from everyone, who plays with world stars wherever they are, says Lukas Sandell.
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Högernian himself left Aalborg for Hungarian Veszprem ahead of this season. So far, Sandell is the Swede who has scored the most game goals in the EC, despite the fact that he is part of the “second line-up” at nine meters and almost always starts on the bench.
– So far it’s working well and it means a lot to us to be able to rotate around, that we can keep our legs reasonably fit, says the 26-year-old from Eslöv.
Many club changes
When Glenn Solberg led Sweden to WC silver in 2021, Lukas Sandell was one of a total of nine championship debutants in the team. Hand in hand with the national team’s success during the Norwegian’s time, many players have switched to better clubs, Sandell is just one of many examples. At the moment, there are also four players at the Champions League champion Magdeburg and two at FC Barcelona.
– It’s incredibly special and fun to win championships, that’s what we’re fighting for. But to see players take big steps and make the journeys that many have made… In a way, it warms the heart even more and stays there forever, says Solberg.
READ MORE: The winning shooter Felix Claar is praised by everyone after the Swedish giant drama in the handball EC: “He was world class”
He knows that in principle at every position there is an equally good player to throw in from the bench. Hopefully, the broad Swedish squad will give the greatest return when it is time to distribute the EC medals next weekend.
– It’s a long tournament and we hope to come to Cologne and be healthy and fit – and at our best there and then, says Solberg.
How do you think it is going for Sweden in the handball EC? Share the article and have your say!
Here are the Swedish EC players and their clubs.
Magdeburg
Oscar Bergendahl, Daniel Pettersson, Felix Claar, Albin Lagergren
Kiel
Eric Johansson, Karl Wallinius
Veszprem
Andreas Nilsson, Lukas Sandell
Barcelona
Hampus Wanne, Jonathan Carlsbogård
Montpellier
Lucas Pellas, Sebastian Karlsson
Paris Saint-Germain
Andreas Palicka
GOG
Tobias Thulin
Sävehof
Simon Moller
Fuchse Berlin
Max Darj
Flensburg-Handewitt
Jim Gottfridsson
Hanover
Jonathan Edvardsson
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