Flensburg-Handewitt: Winning the title in the European League despite setbacks!

Flensburg-Handewitt: Winning the title in the European League despite setbacks!

The 2024/25 handball season had a mixed outcome for SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Before the start of the season, experts saw the team as the clear favorites for the title in the Handball Bundesliga. In fact, the Flensburg team only ended the season in fifth place and had to be content with eleven points behind the championship, which the Füchse Berlin won. The team was only able to save a positive note into the season by winning the European League Sports picture reported.

After the dismissal of coach Nicolej Krickau in December 2024, which was due to a lack of further development and inadequate performances against top clubs, Ales Pajovic took over the reins on the sidelines. Pajovic, who replaced Anders Eggert as interim coach, set the course for a turnaround. When he took office, the team was in sixth place, but ended the season in fifth place. Under his leadership, the team scored 23:11 points in the second half of the season, a points average of 1.35, which, however, was not enough to realize their championship ambitions NDR firmly.

A title as consolation

Winning the European League, the final against Montpellier HB ended with 32:25, ensured a conciliatory conclusion. Pajovic expressed that this title was important to save the season and announced that his charges would like to fight for the championship again next year. He firmly believes that the current team has what it takes and points to the victories in the European Final4 against MT Melsungen and Montpellier as a positive sign. Nevertheless, he did not fail to mention that the team had given away points in the league several times, which he regrets.

A look into the future

For the coming season, Pajovic plans to maintain the existing system in order to achieve more consistency. An important point will be the integration of Luca Witzke, the new playmaker. In addition, Jim Gottfridsson, one of the top performers, will not be available to the team next season, which does not make the challenges for Pajovic any less.

The club management, represented by managing director Holger Glandorf, expressed dissatisfaction with the performance. Glandorf will discuss various reasons for the poor performance during the summer break. In particular, the away balance of 18:16 points and the negative points collected are identified as problem areas. We need to work on pass security, error reduction and defensive stability in order to show more consistency next year.

Flensburg are not the only ones struggling with challenges this season. Other teams like HSG Wetzlar also had to suffer from coaching changes. Frank Carstens was sacked after a disappointing run, while Momir Ilic has now taken on the responsibility. This shows how moving the dynamics in German handball are at the moment Handball World reported.

The look ahead to next season remains exciting. Will SG Flensburg-Handewitt be able to overcome the announced challenges and keep up with the fight for the championship again? The fans are hoping for a successful comeback and a place among the best teams in the league.