Netherlands (NED)

With a new coach, plenty of new and young players, and with former stalwarts either injured or retired, Netherlands aim to bounce back to the top at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022, after three consecutive major tournaments that failed to produce a medal.

A partly inexperienced squad, but with plenty of hunger to follow into the footsteps of the all-time greats that secured plenty of medals between 2015 and 2019, is aiming to go great again, but the path will be challenging.

Between 2015 and 2019, Netherlands secured five medals in six consecutive tournaments, missing out only at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, when they finished fourth. It was the golden age of Dutch handball, with a gold medal at the IHF Women’s World Championship and two silver and two bronze medals each at the EHF EURO and the World Championship, underlining the strength of the squad.

From that moment, several changes were made, with key players retiring and others missing in major tournaments due to a variety of reasons. Over the past six years, four coaches have been on the bench, with Helle Thomsen, Emmanuel Mayonnade, Monique Tijsterman and Per Johansson leading the Dutch team, all with different styles and approaches.

Netherlands failed to secure a medal or at least a semi-finals berth for the past two tournaments, finishing sixth at the EHF EURO 2020 and ninth at the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship, their worst finish since 2013, which prompted another coaching change.

Per Johansson was brought to steady the ship, but the experienced Swedish coach now finds himself in a difficult situation, with plenty of absences and a new generation that needs to bounce back, without a lot of experience on their hands. But Johansson himself is no stranger to adversity and has plenty of experience as a national team coach, having led Sweden between 2008 and 2012 and Montenegro between 2017 and 2020, which bodes well, as this will be his fourth EHF EURO in his career.