HSG Wetzlar: Trainer Ilic warns of the Hammer Program for the league start!

HSG Wetzlar: Trainer Ilic warns of the Hammer Program for the league start!

Wetzlar, Deutschland - The handball Bundesliga is just around the corner, and HSG Wetzlar starts a new season full of challenges and opportunities. Trainer Momir Ilic, who is fresh in office, knows that the start will not be a sugar. In a “hammer program”, the team awaits hard Brocken right from the start: First it goes against SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and then the THW Kiel is waiting. It means giving everything!

under the new coach Ilic, who has been swinging the scepter in Wetzlar since July 2025, could change a lot. The 43-year-old Serb brings a huge wealth of experience after a brilliant player career in which he collected 24 titles. This also includes 3 German championships and two Champions League titles. Ilic not only wants to stabilize the HSG Wetzlar, but also bring up tabularly after the last season was completed with 14th place. So the goal is clear: a better placement!

new impulses and fresh wind

ilic plans to implement the HSG Wetzlar game system in good time before the start of the season in the training camp, which begins on Monday. The focus is on a faster handball and a solid physical preparation. He is supported by a completely renewed team with eight newcomers, the integration of which is an important task for Ilic. He himself is full of anticipation for the team dynamics that will develop during the training camp.

A attention also applies to Cyril Akakpo, who will travel with you despite a hand injury and trains individually. Jona Schoch and Dominik Mappes, on the other hand, can report their return after injury breaks and will be back on board in the training camp.

The right man for the job

The HSG Wetzlar sees Momir Ilic the ideal trainer to bring a breath of fresh air to the team. After the departure of Frank Carstens, who leaves the team in the summer of 2025, the search for his successor was crucial. Ilic is not only recognized in the handball community-he was included in the Hall of Fame of the European Handball Federation (EHF) in 2023-but also has international experiences and speaks German well. His family will move from Balaton to Middle Hesse with him, a step that Ilic feels as responsibility and privilege.

his approach to improve players and present modern handball could be exactly the right one to get Wetzlar very popular again. While the HSG Wetzlar is building on Ilic, the importance of sports psychology is also increasingly recognized in the handball world. Experts like Henning Thrien and André Haber emphasize that mental strength is also of central importance in handball and are convinced that they can support future successes.

With great commitment and fresh ideas, Ilic wants to lead HSG Wetzlar into a new era. You can only hope that the starting shot will be a success on the first matchday in Flensburg!