Denmark coach relishing first competitive challenge

Denmark coach relishing first competitive challenge

Klavs Bruun Jørgensen may have been coach of Denmark’s women’s team since January, when he took over from Jan Pytlick, but the upcoming qualification matches for EHF EURO 2016 will actually be his first competitive matches with the team.

So far, two test matches against HC Vardar have been his only chances to see his new team in action.

However, the 41-year-old former right back has been busy during the past nine months preparing to make his mark on the women’s team.

New tactics have been implemented, including more aggressive defence formations than Denmark have been known for in the past.

“I am really looking forward to the first matches with something at stake. One thing is playing against a club team who can make all the substitutions they want to. It will be entirely different to play against teams like Turkey and Portugal who will probably not be able make many changes,” Klavs Bruun Jørgensen tells ehf-euro.com ahead of his team´s first two matches in Group 6, at home against Turkey on 8 October and away against Portugal three days later. The fourth and last team in the group is Russia, whom the Danes will take on in March.

He admits, that although the matches against Turkey and Portugal are important with regards to qualifying for Sweden in December next year, he also intends to use them as preparation for the World Championship on home court in December.

“We do not have the opportunity to gather the players all that often, so we also have to use these matches, where we are probably seen as favourites, as some kind of preparation ahead of the World Championship.

“We might not have needed this, if I was simply going to go on with the usual 6-0 defence, but as I have wanted to implement some more offensive formations too, we also need to train these in some competitive matches,” says Klavs Bruun Jørgensen, whose only regret is the fact that his team do not get the chance to also play against Russia at this point.

“You also need to test new things against heavy opposition, so I would not have minded a match against Russia too, but as it is, the schedule is fine for us,” he says.

Positive approach from the players

He feels well received among the players, and this also applies to the changes he has brought along

“It is my experience that the players have received the new ideas I have brought with me in a very positive way.

“If you come up with a lot of changes at one time, you might expect some players to be reluctant, but that has not been the case. They have all been very open and receptive,” says Klavs Bruun Jørgensen, whose squad has been bothered by injuries by several key players during the season so far.

The latest player to get injured has been playmaker Lærke Møller who has recently been sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn cruciate ligament.

However, apart from Møller, the injury situation is easing.

“For the coming qualifications matches, I actually expect to have all players apart from Lærke at my disposal, and if we manage to stay free of injuries, I think we’ll have a really strong team.

“We may not have some big shining stars, but we have a group of players who form a strong team together, and that is the way it usually is in Danish handball – that the team is the star,” concludes the coach.