Coaches’ corner: How a successful EHF FINAL4 is engineered

But the EHF FINAL4 is surely a different beast: two matches in the space of roughly 24 hours, with no room for mistakes, only 60 minutes which can make or break the season. Therefore, the coaches’ task is immense and everything will be on the line when the teams take the court in the MVM Dome.

Three of the coaches – Per Johansson, Jesper Jensen and Emmanuel Mayonnade – have already been here. Jakob Vestergaard, Bietigheim’s coach, won the European premium competition twice, with Viborg HK, albeit when the final was played in a double-header format.

So what goes through the mind of a coach with 24 hours before the start of the semi-finals in the EHF FINAL4?

Two Scandinavian coaches going head-to-head

Györ are perennial contenders in the EHF Champions League Women and have been in the EHF FINAL4 more times than any other side, this being the ninth time when they are fighting for the trophy.

However, after a 11-match winning streak to start the season, their form dipped, prompting a coaching change from Ulrik Kirkely to Per Johansson. The Swedish coach is no stranger to the EHF FINAL4 – he has been to Budapest twice before as CSM Bucuresti coach.

“We had to change the system a bit. We added more intensity, harder trainings and the players responded well. They really wanted that, they really wanted to push the pedal a bit and go hard in all the matches,” says Johansson.

Now, Györ will face Team Esbjerg in a hugely exciting semi-final, with some of the best players in the world on the court. For Johansson, as well as for the departing Jesper Jensen, Johansson’s counterpart from Esbjerg, this will be all about controlling the tempo of the match. In fact, two Scandinavian coaches, one from Sweden and one from Denmark, but with different views of handball, will go head-to-head in this match, with a place in the final on the line.

“We will try to control the tempo a bit. We will not slow down the game, because we are not a team which likes to do that necessarily, but we will also not run like Györ does. This will be very a difficult match for us and for Györ too,” says Jensen, who will coach his final two matches at Esbjerg, leaving after a seven-year stint to focus on the Denmark women’s national team.

On the other hand, Jensen has some fantastic players at his disposal, like Nora Mørk and Henny Reistad, with the two backs combining for 180 goals this season. Kristine Breistøl and Rikke Iversen can also do some damage, therefore Esbjerg look like a strong challenge for Györ.

“We cannot think about stopping Reistad or Mørk. There are players in handball, like Vipers right back Anna Vyakhireva or Reistad, who can decide a match by themselves. Therefore, I think we can only limit the damage a player like Reistad can do. On the other hand, I think that we are a team with a better depth than Esbjerg,” says Johansson.

“Of course, they improved in that department, and have good players on the bench, but I think this can be the deciding factor, the depth, because the rhythm will be very good and we will need to substitute some players during the match too and we need meaningful contributions from all of our players in the squad.”

The battle for tempo

The second semi-final between Metz Handball and SG BBM Bietigheim will result in a first-time finalist at the EHF FINAL4. Neither team has made it there so far, with Bietigheim also being in Budapest for the first time. That means that pressure will be on both sides to deliver, after a long season.

Bietigheim are definitely the dark horses of the competition, after losing seven matches in the group phase and finishing in sixth place. But with two identical 60:58 aggregate wins against Ikast Handbold and Odense Håndbold in the play-offs and quarter-finals respectively, Bietigheim are a team to watch out for.

“We played against them in two friendly matches at the start of the season and did not win any, therefore we will not take anything for granted. They are an excellent team, they can beat any other side, as proven before, therefore we need to be careful. One thing which I am certain of is that we know them well and they know us well too,” says Metz’s coach, Emmanuel Mayonnade.

A key factor in this match-up looks likely to be the battle of the goalkeepers. Bietigheim’s Gabriela Moreschi has saved 194 shots so far, while Metz’s Hatadou Sako is close behind, with four saves less. Therefore, this might be the area where the winner could be decided.

“I am very satisfied with our defence so far. The foundations have been laid before my time here, so there were no big things I needed to change. For me, the big factors in this match will be how the two defences adapt, because every mistake, every ball turned over can be turned into a very dangerous fast break,” says Vestergaard.

“Metz have very good wings, they have a very good speed and we need to control the tempo of the match. Otherwise, it will be difficult to win, because they are a great team.”

The usual saying is that “defence wins championships” and all the four coaches present at the EHF FINAL4 seem to agree. But attacks are also important, as proven in 2021 and 2022, when Vipers won the title by scoring 34 and 33 goals in the final match of the season.

With only 60 minutes to prove their worth in the semi-finals, the four teams in the EHF FINAL4 have literally no room for mistakes. And their season, with 18 matches played by Bietigheim and 16 by the other three sides, will be decided.

“Experience is key in these matches, of course. But every team would like to win, so everybody will fight,” concludes Mayonnade.

Photos © cedosa, Aniko Kovacs, nhcfoto.dk, Marco Wolf, Kolektiff Images